Zerine’s question left all of them thinking in silence for a few moments. Then something popped into Zerine’s head, a question she should have asked earlier.
“Varino, that was a domain you created, right?”
Varino blinked, confused, but nodded.
“It didn’t act odd? Or have weird things happen?”
Varino thought for a moment, then shrugged and whistled, saying that it might be a property of her domain because it felt like the mana storm reacted to her willpower, but pretty much did its own thing, mostly.
“Ah, interesting. It was clearly connected and influenced by your conceptual breakthrough. But sill domains and conjuration magic should have been acting off as the ambient magic interfered with spells along with the general chaotic state mana is in during these storms. Hmm, I bet mom will know. But I need to make some food because I’m starving,” Zerine said, slowly getting out of the bedroll and shuttered.
The underground space was cool and damp, making her debate about just eating fruit while staying warm inside her bedroll. Light in the cavern grew brighter from the runes stopping the mana storm’s magic from reaching them. The space got colder than the next second got warm. A cool breeze reached Zerine, coming from where the tunnel had been, which made the decision for her.
Zerine slid back into the bedroll, pulling out a spirit manifestation fruit. She had discovered over time that the fruit had some interesting effects. Starting with the most important effect was that it just tasted damn good. The second was that it always made Zerine feel just a little better. It wasn’t like Varino or the other spirits, however. The little spirit would munch down on them to help replenish their mana, similar to quintessence, but Zerine had noticed them gain in power, as if the fruit was an extension of the natural treasure that had helped create the spiritual place.
Varino, seeing Zerine pullout a fruit burbled, asking for one.
Grinning, Zerine pulled out another and handed it over. The two munch down happy. While they ate, Kimi made a nest and mediated joined by Little Red. The ground on occasion would shutter. The sounds of howling wind, the boom and crash of thunder rumbling, along with explosions played out while the group tried to relax.
***
Liliana stood in her study, staring at the map of the continent. Her gaze was focused on the shoreline where clusters of gold, silver, and green dots were clustered revealing locations of auras that were fully exposed. This magical tool was something they had been able to reactivate only after getting the needed materials due to the ley line intersection. No one knows who created the incredibly complex array that allows them to see auras within their borders, but having this tool put Liliana’s mind at ease. It gave them the live locations of auras A-rank through Gold-rank. There were other flares up on the map, but related to adventurer activity or other things that their spymaster’s now overload staff would track down to make certain nothing got past them.
This cluster was the currently ongoing battle with a Metal Head horde that had somehow had only been discovered a few days ago.
Liliana’s brow furrowed, seeing silver dots vanish as a gold dot flew past them. She assumed a Gold-rank adventurer or Trevel member had wiped out several Silver-ranks.
Just how did such a horde even come to exist, she thought, glaring at the map as if it would reveal the answer. Like every leader, magic guild, and adventure guild maps, this one had markings of known locations where nests were. The only problem was that none of these could produce such numbers.
Unless…oh, holy hell, someone opened a rift, she thought, annoyed.
A rift was a term used when someone created a long-lasting summoning ritual acting more like a semi-permanent doorway to allow access from the plane of existence where summons came from. Normally, the magic required for a summoning matched the relative strength of the creature. But with rifts, it required far more than even the strongest of summons to even create one to last a week.
“To create something that could allow nearly an entire horde through would have been detected in our lands and our allies,” Liliana muttered, her gaze now shifting to the map of the world. “Gods damns Ascendents mucking about with things they shouldn’t.”
She began writing a message to be sent to the various guilds and allies to alert them and, hopefully, to start a coordinated effort to search for a rift. After the message had been sent, her gaze shifted back to the map of the country and frowned. Several more mass monster manifestations were detected by the map, but that wasn’t what made her frown. What had caught her attention was how the battle had shifted. The large-scale battle had moved into the mana storm and…to…a certain cluster of islands. Seeing the islands now surround in silver and gold dots, made Liliana’s jaw clench for a moment.
Liliana never truly thought about the disappointment that was Zerine. Usually, the girl only popped into her head because of Ava trying to update her on her children, which she mostly tuned out when it came to the crestless. But she knew the girl’s test was still ongoing, having been updated on her little wager.
But throwing in a high rank battle on top of a mana Strom and a horde of Metal Heads? Yeah, this might be a bit too much. This won’t end well, she admitted to herself. A twinge of guilt bubbled up, but she shoved it as sided and focus on other tasks.
Zerine had some odd things about her that seemingly helped her not entirely lose out to an E-rank, but it wouldn’t help much in the real world. Maybe for this test, they will help her be passable, but beyond that? She doubted it. At least the “instincts” as Ava called it, was a rather strange evolving ability. It wasn’t entirely surprising to Liliana, though, as Zerine’s origin was from two powerful mages that had unique magic. But even with that, nothing changed her fate. Who knows, maybe if she were to look at the child’s fate now, there wouldn’t be anything to see other than death.
***
Tristan Tevel floated above the Metal Head horde battle watching calmly. He glanced towards a pulse of aura from a Triarch coven’s Iridesium-rank witch, notified him she had returned, which meant the corrupted magic they all had sensed beyond their planet had vanished. The corner of his mouth twitched in a fleeting smile in response.
No one had dared make a move, even when they didn’t have parity with their adversaries. There were simply too many gazes of near peak Iridesium-ranks along with…others.
He scowled, knowing that his ancestor was one of those foreign gazes and those of Order, Chaos, and Corruption. Even with all these gazes, the only shift had occurred when the Metal Head horde’s sheer size was discovered. There were many implications with such a horde, and none were good.
His thoughts were interpreted as a woman appeared standing in the air next to him.
“Ah, Lady Adunita, enjoyed watching the Starborn fight?” Tristan wondered, bowing his head to the women.
Lady Adunita was a tall, slender Elven beautiful woman wearing dark blue with gold trim mage robes. Her startling, vibrant purple eyes appraised Tristan. Being taller than him, she had looked slightly down to meet his gaze. Her black hair shifted in a slight breeze. She held a staff that nearly matched her height and had a green gemstone on the top.
A thin eyebrow raised at Tristan's informal tone.
“I know that fight was more important than what you and the others believe. Corrupted magic is unnatural and far worse than even curse magic. As for the fight itself, it was interesting to observe. Starborn’s aren’t known for staying anywhere for very long and it’s even rarer to see them fight. I believe I learned something about corrupted magic. In the future, I believe that fight will be viewed as when things started to go wrong,” she said. Her voice turned from its normal silky smooth to melancholy.
Tristan only nodded, his gaze shifting back to the battle.
“You had Ava fight that peak Gold-rank Metal Head?”
Tristan smiled proudly. “I sure did. I figured she would want to test her abilities in a place where she could go all out. You know how it is at that rank. Finding a good fight where you can go all out is annoyingly difficult.”
“Hmm, she has grown far more powerful, that is for certain,” Lady Adunita commented as the sky flashed purple with wild lightning shooting across the sky. Minutes later, the boom and crack of thunder reached them.
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“It appears that their fight will last another day or two,” Tristan commented idly. His gaze shifted to the largest of islands, which was in the middle of a mana storm and a swarm of Metals Heads. He still kept his senses on the battle between the Thunder Fairy and King cast Metal Head.
“I find it disheartening that you aren’t worried about your great granddaughters little test,” Lady Adunita commented, knowing where Tristan's gaze was currently observing.
Tristan stiffened and gave the Lady a side glance.
“It’s a tradition to ensure we choose the best to continue our goal of the strong protecting the weak. If that means those untalented or unfortunate have their dreams crushed or die, then so be it.”
Lady Adunita's eyes flashed with disapproval and a touch of anger, but other than that, her expression was her usual unreadable calm. Tristan didn’t pick up on the disapproval as his gaze had gone back to the island, seeing if he could find that disappointment. Hopefully, he would win the bet, after all, who would be insane enough to not break the emergency crystal when they were in the middle of a high rank battle, with a horde of Metal Heads swarming, and a full-blown mana storm.
“Now I understand why Ava, Knowledge, and the Mystic Eye, had asked me to come even with the Esteron’s annoyances.”
“Annoyances?” Tristan wondered, ignoring the fact his granddaughter had somehow gotten bloody goddesses to send the only women on the planet who could keep him in check. Knowing Adunita, she probably had her own reasons to be here, too. It still annoyed him, but he didn’t let it show.
“Esteron has sent spies, funded bandits, and much more to most likely prepare for something after their civil war concludes,” Lady Adunita said, her tone getting darker.
“They won’t dare do anything for a few years till after their internal affairs are settled. But it appears they do plan to expand or do something along those lines. It will come down to which side wins. To be honest, both sides aren’t to be underestimated.”
“I came to that conclusion as well. And it appears that both sides have gone on a darker path, committing horrific acts. Sadly, the queen’s foresight of a large-scale war is proving to be quite accurate,” Lady Adunita said, her dark tone turning sorrowful, her calm expression matching her tone.
“Hmm, it will change things, that is for certain,” Tristan said, thoughtfully.
“It appears our granddaughter has found some interesting company during her little test,” Lady Adunita commented, which made Tristan scowl, not finding a sign of Zerine anywhere on the island.
Adunita smiled, enjoying Tristan’s frustration. “She is certainly difficult to sense with the aura and presence of a crestless. But you will just have to wait and see those recordings.”
“I find it concerning how you know that island and our ways so well. Especially with locations and traditions being soul contract enforced,” Tristan said, his gaze narrowing.
“The Mystic Eye can see all, and Knowledge knows all, so does it truly come as a surprise when they disclose certain things to their followers?” she wondered, raising a perfect eyebrow again.
Tristan really hated the fact his ex-wife was so damn beautiful and had so many connections.
“I may not have been fully accepted by the family, but it’s enough where the gods didn’t cross a line informing me. I find your treatment of your eldest great granddaughter disrespectful to Ava and utterly disgusting in regard to Zerine herself. If Ava and Cal hadn’t gone and moved from the family headquarters, I fear Zerine wouldn’t even had been treated like part of the family like…she...is,” Adunita said the last words sharply biting down on each one. Her eyes sparkled dangerously.
“You haven’t seen her fate, have you?” Tristan replied dryly, finally finding Zerine. The girl was fleeing through the forest with Metal Heads and monsters fighting all over around them with most creatures choosing to hide. The odd thing was that Zerine was holding…was that an egg? That rather adorable spirit was holding on tight to Zerine’s shoulder, using the wind to help them move faster.
“I’ve been only told that Zerine…existed a few weeks ago. As communications from my granddaughter have been…” Lady Adunita’s tone turned darker. The surrounding air shook from her anger. “Intercepted by the family. I assume on your orders. I’ve seen all my great grandchildren except Zerine and-”
The world now shook from her anger. “It’s been fifteen years.”
A cold sweat went down Tristan’s back. He should have guessed the damn gods would pass a message with someone so close to ascending. But how had Ava managed to pass a message in the first place? He also knew he was on extremely thin ice. The family had planned events excluding Zerine most of the time, which was made easier as the family learned that Zerine disliked large gatherings. It just so happens that some events lined up with the rare times Adunita visited her grandchildren.
“I did it as part of a request from Liliana,” Tristan said, not bothering to look at his ex-wife, feeling the air vibrated as her willpower began to warp the world around them.
“Ah, yes, playing favorites as usual. I learned about and met all of Liliana’s even those she…discarded even the youngest promsing one, but for some reason, nothing about Zerine. Almost like a soul contract was created to ensure Ava couldn’t disclose things related to it. I now learn that Zerine has been wiped from most Trevel family records too. The family has helped fund Estel, Naro’s, and even Varino’s training or other needs that Ava and Cal struggle to cover, while Zerine does not.”
“Actually, Ava and Cal have covered quite a lot of those needs with their-” Tristan protested, but Adunita raised a single finger, and he closed his mouth.
“Ava and Cal and their household have done remarkable for having little support from the family. And yes, I know you all barely send funds at all to the that household. You only show up once in a while when things get dire, almost like the family helped cause the headaches and setbacks, hoping to get concessions from Ava and Cal.” The warping world and immense pressure eased as Adunita smiled ferociously. “I’m just glad that out of the entire family, those two will never give in.”
Tristan was now glaring daggers at the woman.
“But here I am watching my great granddaughter run through a forest with silver and Gold-rank beings fighting around the island with B and C-ranks Metal Heads on the island. And your sitting waiting for the emergency crystal to be broken!? Do you ever wonder that how you all treat that household of Trevels is part of a self-fulfilling prophesy?” The pressure eased more as Adunita regained control over her emotions. “After this…trial,” her eyes flared purple, “I plan to meet my great granddaughter and get to know her before I ascend. Seeing how so many years were taken from us, I will be in the area for some time. I already got permission from the Liliana.”
Tristan’s glare had faltered at how Adunita had almost faltered on the word ascending. It was entirely unlike the woman to struggle with words when she had such a sharp tongue.
“You figured it out!? Your next path and started the process,” Tristan said, for some reason his throat tightening. It was from shock and saddles, but he had to admit a bit of jealousy was there too. He still hadn’t found the insight for himself, and he wasn’t a peak Iridesium-rank, which might make it easier, he hoped.
Adunita had always been amazing. Succeeding as a Mystic in a part of the world where many had been hunted them down. And here she was at the absolute peak that a mortal could obtain while remain in this plane. But she was on a timer, which only helped explain why the cluster rank gods had passed along the information.
No wonder why she was on the brink of destroying this part of the shoreline with how angry she is, he thought with just a hint of guilt over Zerine.
“I have started the process already and will ascend within the next year. I have already said my goodbyes to my sisters in the Triarch Coven and now it’s time for family. But I didn’t know that I would be meetin gone for the first time and last time,” Adunita said, sounding more heartbroken, which tugged at Tristan’s heart. “So now I have to make up time and form memories before leaving this world behind.”
“I’m-”
“Don’t!” Adunita snapped. “We both know it’s only a halfhearted apology. You all took years away from me getting to know my kin and made it difficult to see or visit my grandchildren and great grandchildren. And yes, I know I have been busy with the Triarch, but this… was cruel. And I will remember this treatment when I ascend.”
Her purple eyes glowed brightly the world shaking once again.
“We also got advice from an ascendent on different maters and-” Tristan found he couldn’t speak as force kept his mouth shut.
“Ascendents no longer have soul bonds from their former world. They have no loyalty to the family and dance to the tune of beings greater than the local gods. I would start wondering who or what truly has their loyalty. The three that will be here for the Heartstone kingdom succussation competition will be those you can trust though. Others, however, take what they say with a substantial dose of skepticism. Now my last words to you will be…” Adunita’s stoney expression softened, and the pressure vanished.
She took a deep breath and continued. “Thank you for the first century of our marriage. I truly enjoyed our time together until…certain things. But our children have made me proud, and their legacies will be long lasting and impactful. We did well there.” She gave him a soft smile that plunged a dagger into his heart. It was the smile that she used to give him when they were together and something he hadn’t seen in gods he couldn’t remember. “I hope you find your path again and ascend.” Her smile faded. “And do not interfere with Zerine Cooper’s progress. I already know what you all will decide on this trial and on other matters, but you of all people should know never underestimate our family.” With one last look at him, she vanished.
Tristan had a sour taste in his mouth, knowing that was the last time he would ever see Adunita. The one that got away and the one he had helped push away. He sighed and turned his gaze back to Ava’s battle smiling, seeing that she was doing well.
Now for the damn girl who ruined the last time I had with that woman, he thought, not daring to say or think of Adunita’s name because if he did, he wasn’t sure if he could remain in control of both his anger and sorrow. It didn’t get passed him that Adunita had used Cal’s old family name instead of Trevel, which made him think of all the ways that Zerine and her parents could defy the family's wishes and began taking mental notes on things to strongly hint to the elders. Just because he wouldn’t interfere didn’t mean they couldn’t.
His gaze found Zerine and smiled. It looked like he would win his bet after all.
At least one thing is going right, he thought, his anger being washed away, but the ache in his chest remained. The first hints of the sun began to appear on the distant horizon. Only a week and a half left.
His smile grew because his magic intercepted the emergency crystals alert. He delayed it for a half a day like he had planned seeing that there were simply too many Metal Heads and monsters in the area, which were far more important to deal than one girl.
Can’t have those monsters make it to towns or cities, he thought, justifying his actions, ignoring the fact that he just interfered with Zerine, but it was an action he had always planned on doing.