When Adrian finally reached the top, he felt as if he had been on a long, hard march. He was both exhausted yet also strangely excited.

“Finally made it,” Adrian sighed, hands on his legs as he breathed heavily to catch his breath. “I almost thought I wouldn’t.”

Wiping away the sweat on his brow, he straightened and started to examine the barrier core. Stone pillars covered in elaborate runes enclosed a magic circle inscribed onto the rough granite. Pure Ether flowed like molten gold through the inscribed lines, and the very air seemed to hum with the density and power of the divine Ether that flowed within.

Ignoring the pain as his body started to corrode from the power, Adrian pushed onward towards the formation. His skin and blood started to flake into particles of golden light, even despite his protective Aura, but he ignored it. He ignored everything to analyze the runes of the magic formation.

Unlike the kingdom of Belara, the Kaltria Empire was more open to the study of magic, so as prince he was well-versed in it as well. At least in theory. Because of his unique constitution and his Blessing, he had been taken under the wing of the Order for training as a Paladin rather than as a mage, as most of his other siblings had. In fact, he was so talented in divine magic, that if he had not been a prince that could also provide them political support, the Order would probably have wanted him to join their ranks.

Even before he learned about the construction of magic circles and spells, he could still vaguely understand what was happening from the movement of the Ether. He had been born with a unique sensitivity to Ether, and he felt as if he could almost understand the secrets it carried in its currents. Spells both divine and heretical came as naturally to him as breathing.

That is why although he had never learned about the specifics of this particular barrier, he had an instinctive confidence that he could figure it out somehow. He might not be familiar with the intricacies of its construction, but he should still be able to understand what was wrong or what it would do just by his instinct of how the Ether should flow.

If the Guardians or his knights knew of what he was doing, they would probably scold him for being reckless, but he didn't care.

Adrian forced himself into the torrent of pure Ether, stopping only when he knew he could not go any further. Falling to his knees, he placed his hands onto the lines of the magic circle. He disregarded the limitations of his material body, ignored the pain and his senses as he sent his awareness deep within the current of Ether. Soon, the pain and other bodily sensations faded away, replaced only by a sense of ecstasy and a flood of overwhelming power.

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He almost lost himself in it.

The pull of Ether was so strong that his sense of self was almost washed away. It was so tempting. If he were to just let go, all the pain would go away. He would become part of the Ether, part of the fabric of the world. He would gain everything. And he would also lose everything.

No!

Adrian’s willpower surged, and he struggled to resist the pull of the current. Now that he was within it, he could tell that the barrier manipulated and used all of the natural Ether in the surroundings, as well as drew upon a reservoir of Etheric crystals deep within the mountain. This barrier spell was on a larger scale than any of the other magic formations he had used this technique on. He fought to regather himself and gain control.

Finally, as Adrian slowly understood the flow of the formation and learned to manipulate it, it became easier. It wasn’t long before he discovered a point where the flow seemed to have been interrupted, as if the circulation were cut off by a tourniquet. This must be the breach that the undead had gone through.

But it was strange. Rather than being broken through by brute force, it felt almost as if corrupted Ether had been mixed within as well, blocking the flow and compromising the barrier. It might be possible that the barrier could get degraded from years of exposure to corrupted Ether from the Dreadlands, but if that was the case, why was it only that small section that was affected?

Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time now to investigate the cause. He would have to leave it to the Order.

Adrian started to coax the flow of Ether with his Will, redirecting it to flow around the blocked region. Then, he started to take control of the barrier’s flow, poking and prodding his modifications in place. It was only when he was done did he finally return his awareness to his body.

Although it had felt like it took a long time, in actuality it had only taken a few seconds for everything. However, large patches of his skin and had already been corroded, and the blonde of his hair was gradually turning silver from the roots.

Adrian struggled to his feet and made his way to the center of the formation once more. There was one thing he must do before he was done. Fortunately, the Ether no longer fought against him, so it wasn’t long before he reached the center.

He took out a dagger from his belt and made a cut on his wrist, and the blood dripped into the golden Ether of the formation.

“May my blood illuminate the night,” he whispered hoarsely. “Under Adriel’s name”

The night was flooded with radiant light.