Lia and Lucian's appearance was not without creating a panic. The Misfits tower was shaking, alerting the people and current leaders that something unexpected was happening. The door down below opened by itself, spewing air and energy out of No-Space, along with the residue of golden fire, before Lia and Lucian's body was flung out of it. They landed on the scorched ground, their bodies releasing otherwordly smoke like two ghostly specters.
Lia wasn't paying attention to hit, hurriedly working on finally pulling Lucian's soul back into his body, managing it only when they reappeared. Next, she ignored the searing pain coming from her burn marks and rummaged through her holding bag, feeding healing potions after healing potions to the Headmaster. Noticing that Misfits were coming out to see what made the ruckus, she barked orders that carried unmistakable authority within.
"Healers, cast your most potent healing magic! The fastest of you get to the school and bring teachers here or find my brother Lauron! No, DO BOTH! NOW!"
"Yes…!" Many of them recognized the two at once and knew something big had happened. There was no time for questions but to do what Lia told them to do, even if it was their first meeting with her.
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What transpired between Lia and Samiya wasn't purely contained to No-Space. The moment the sub-realm was destroyed, it directly affected the material Realm, too. The ancient ruins crumbled as space cracked open, golden flames bursting towards the sky, rising high, visible from far away. They incinerated everything as the flames were torn off, uncontrolled parts of Samiya's spell body rampaging without control. What remained there was a barren wasteland, scorched to oblivion.
The Headmaster's injuries and state quickly spread amongst the leaders of the Realm, and when Reyra finally returned with a 9th Tier Rangi behind her, she visited him at once. By then, he had regained consciousness, and his injuries recovered quickly, but he still needed time to regain strength. It was not the wounds that bothered him; they could be easily fixed and healed by the resources available at the Academy. The damage his soul received when it was almost ripped out of his body caused the biggest problem. If not for Lia, it could have been a deadly incident or so severe that even if he survived, he would have been crippled.
Lia's state was much more stable, and she had suffered no real injuries besides having her hands stuck in bandages while they were regenerating her burnt skin. Telling everything to her mother prompted another meeting with the leaders of Meriath, where she had to recount everything she knew of. In the middle of the meeting, another, bigger shock ensued as the Realm's door to the Cosmos appeared, signaling someone's entry into the 9th Tier. Everyone knew it had to be Lakhmu as nobody else was in retreat to try and do it.
"How weird…" Lia murmured, drawing her mother's attention from the event, visible from everywhere on Meriath.
"The ring?" She asked, seeing her daughter, looking at it, still stuck to her finger.
"Yeah… I felt it resonating the moment the door opened. I could feel two similar items' presence… here. I mean, on Meriath. Close to each other. If I had to bet, I guess it's in these… Golden Claw people's hands. The other three… are far away. I barely managed to sense it, but there was… a feeling!"
"You said the Undead has three, yes? Then you probably sensed where they were! Can you… pinpoint it?"
"No." Lia shrugged, shaking her head dejectedly. "They were very far away, and I couldn't sense the direction… but I am sure it was somewhere in No-Space; they had a different feel to them!"
"I see… We still don't know what they can really do, so be careful with it! Haah… I hate the fact that now we need to worry about TWO factions infiltrating us… I feel like we are made to dance on a stage while two different bands are trying to dictate the tune of the music…"
"Don't worry, Mom! The Silly Fox and I smashed their drums!"
"I think they have spares, but yes, that was good work!" Reyra smiled, rubbing her head, deciding not to share her worries as knowing that the new danger could infiltrate even better than an Undead was already vexing enough… She should not trouble her daughter with issues belonging to the leader of Meriath.
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Che was inside No-Space, investigating the ripples they all felt, indicating the destruction of a significant and ancient sub-realm. Initially, he wouldn't have come, letting some other elders take care of it, but the Sect Master ordered him to investigate personally. The moment he found the remains, he immediately knew which sub-realm it was. They tried to look for it from their side many times but never managed to find it.
"The stench of golden flames…" Che murmured, his soul surveying where the battle took part, following the feeling, knowing full well it was the work of a Golden Claw cultivator. He also knew what they were after, something that their Sect Master had also collected in the past from their 'allies' as they were being defeated. With Three in their hands, they easily sealed the Realm and created their refuge. If their rivals managed to match them now, then they could be able to undo all that.
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After a long search, he finally found the floating body of Samiya, devoid of life and missing its soul. It was still intact, and with a gleeful look, he quickly enveloped it in his dark Miasma, dragging it along.
"Thank you for the gift, ahahaha!"
The fact that the soul was no longer present could only mean one thing: it was washed away by No-Space. Without the focus and methods they developed, it was impossible to resist its effects. Samiya was dragged into the reincarnation cycle and was doomed to wait for his chance to be reborn, probably being wiped of all his memories in the process. In the sense of the word, he was dead.
"So they failed to get it… but there was a battle here."
Arriving back at the Sect, he immediately made his report and could not have been happier to be able to keep the intact body. It would be a perfect puppet for him when returning to Meriath. His Master was walking up and down, slowly rubbing his fingers that displayed three different rings, all with a different gemstone embedded in them.
"Then it had to land in the hand of one of the fleshbounds… That is an opportunity for us! Send word to the others to keep an eye out! If we can find it, that would be the best… but that doesn't matter as much now! Focus on our original goals!"
"It… isn't important? If I may ask, Master… Why is that?"
"I sensed the Realm opening up once again and looked into it! The beast was nowhere to be found!" He exclaimed in an agitated, excited voice. "This is our perfect chance! I don't know what happened or where it went, but this is our moment to strike! We have to do it now or lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Don't screw this up!" He glanced at Che, who could feel his entire being shake. He knew that if he did, his life would be forfeit, and his soul would be nothing more but nutrient to his Master.
"There will be no issues, Master!"
"I heard that multiple times. Prove it with your actions and not with some fancy words! Now go…"
"Yes, Master!" He bowed, leaving hurriedly, not wanting to intrude on him more than necessary.
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There was one another being who was also receiving the information of all that happened, and he was in the same, separated space as the Undead.
"So she got herself one?" Erias asked, floating amongst thick clouds, hiding and meditating while Somia's soul appeared beside him.
"Yes. It's stuck to her being and can't be removed."
"Is it stuck to her body or her soul?"
"Her whole being. I can't tell if it would come off if she dies."
"Let's not try that, hm?" Erias chuckled, shaking his head. "This is an unexpected boon! Ahahaha! Perfect! Now… if we could use it, we could more easily bypass their defenses… I will need time to figure this out, but tell her everything!"
"She met with Arcus. She already knows a good deal."
"Even better! For now, keep her alive and keep her advancing! She will be my secret helper!"
"How long do you need?" Somia asked, watching Erias open his eyes with a dangerous glint.
"Not much. I have already explored and stabilized many points of this hidden space. I only need energy to break through it and establish a connection with reality. They still have ample, strong souls present, so their interference is too strong. If they could send more away… I could commence their destruction!"
"You do realize that means more devastation, danger, and death for Meriath…"
"They can survive it… and it is something that I am willing to pay for getting rid of them! After the immediate danger is gone and our Realm is reconnected with the Cosmos… we can weed out the other, hidden, cancerous cell!"
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"How are you?" Lia asked, visiting Lucian, who was already back in his office, catching up with all the paperwork he missed while being bound to his bed.
From the outside, he looked perfectly healthy, his fancy robes hiding the many bandages under them as multiple parts of his body were still being cared for, regrowing their flesh. If anyone would notice something, that would be his shorter hair and less glossy tail, which were much more matte in comparison.
"Fine." He smiled, placing down the papers, his fingers trembling slightly. "Don't worry about me!"
"I do!" Lia countered, pouting before standing up and starting to make tea, "You should rest more!"
"Says the one with still bandaged hands, boiling water right now!"
"Unlike you, my hands are not as shaky!" She countered, glancing at him scoldingly, "You are being silly!"
"I am being practical, my little pupil!" He laughed, leaning back, masking his tired expression with a smile. "The injury of the soul is not something that can be healed by any normal methods or spells! They require self-healing and constant exercising of the mind! I won't be able to do much or help the war effort for now, so I do what I can from here!"
"That still doesn't mean you can not rest!" Lia mumbled, bringing the tea for him and sitting on his desk while he sipped on it.
"I do rest. I know myself better than anyone! If I want to reinvigorate myself and regain my strength, I must train my mind; this is the perfect job!"
"Okay, okay… I get it! I will tell the Misfits not to cause you too much trouble!"
"See? That I would appreciate! Also, tell them I will rely on them more, too, so their best members should take up more responsibilities around the school!"
"Will do!"
"How's things with the others?"
"Everything seems calm. I told them to be on the lookout for an attack or some retribution coming… but nothing so far. Icura, the City Lord of Deliah, also disappeared, which is not a surprise. My mother and the rest are working out how to deal with all of this… Hah…”
"Complicated…" Lucian nodded, feeling a slight headache incoming, so he quickly dropped the topic. "Thanks for saving me."
"Hehe…"
Lia wanted to say something more, but in the end, she smiled happily, blushing a little and glad Lucian was fine and slowly recovering. She was about to open her mouth when Somia materialized next to them.
"I spoke with Erias." She started without waiting for them to say anything. "Lia, you must be extra careful and focus on reaching at least the 7th Tier. The ring on your finger is our newest weapon we intend to utilize…"
"Oh…? I heard most of it from Arcus. Are you here to tell me more?" Lia grinned, a bit happy to rub it under Somia's nose.
"Yes." Somia ignored her, turning towards Lucian, who got the meaning behind it.
"I'm going to take a walk. Refresh my joints!" He stood up, putting down the empty teacup. Before Lia could protest, he simply rubbed her head, smiling and leaving without looking back, leaving Lia there to listen to Somia's words without interruptions.