As Ezekiel stood in the center of the newly created clearing filled with destruction and traces of elemental remnants, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. He knew that he had apparently fought off something in his mindscape, something that had apparently tried to eat his and Shine’s souls, but that was it.
With no idea how the area around him had been so thoroughly devastated as it had been, he quickly took stock of his condition. Physically, he was in surprisingly good condition. He seemed to have little to no injuries, and there was nothing that seemed out of place.
However, much to his shock, it seemed like, beyond some strain on his soul, his mana had actually increased by a substantial amount. While currently he was nearly drained, with barely a Step’s worth of mana inside him right now, he knew that after enough rest he would have the mana of a Tier three Step five Mage.
That was a three Step jump, something that should’ve potentially taken him a couple of years to achieve. Sure, he might have been able to do it in a couple months, so long as he didn’t use any of the mana he accumulated during that time. But that just meant that he had somehow come into contact with a massive amount of mana that he managed to absorb whilst unconscious.
“Ezekiel! My mana! It’s-” Shine’s panicking voice broke through Ezekiel’s thoughts.
“Increased by a large amount?” Ezekiel asked before Shine could finish. “Mine as well. I’m now solidly at the middle Step of Tier three. How about you?”
“I’m the same! Step five. How did this happen? Is this why I feel so bloated? Like that time when I was Tier one?” Shine asked; concern filling their voice. That was a time that Ezekiel and Shine didn’t like thinking about. It was something that they hadn’t enjoyed. Shine, due to the pressure they felt, and Ezekiel, because of the trouble it was causing Shine.
“... I think we need to find Filia. As soon as possible. We might’ve absorbed the mana that was inside the Spine when we destroyed it.” Ezekiel said. “I don’t know what happened after the explosives went off, but we’re covered in something. I’m not sure what, but if it is, or was, Ichor, then that means bad things for us.”
“But I’m a Spirit. I can’t absorb Ichor.” Shine said in a worried tone. “Like, I physically, spiritually, and conceptually can’t!”
Ezekiel wasn’t so sure about that. The Void seemed to be very strange when it came to what and how it absorbed mana. On average, he needed twice the amount of mana as a Mage of a different element. The only saving grace was that he could pull from eight different sources. Although balancing the amounts was always a trying task.
“Maybe we got lucky, and simply absorbed the unprocessed mana that the Spine was absorbing.” Ezekiel said to try and placate Shine. “I don’t feel any particular discomfort either. But for all we know something strange still happened to us. Fighting off that parasite certainly did some damage.”
Ezekiel winced as he said this. His mind went back to the excruciating pain he had suffered under what he had assumed was the strange entity’s attack on his soul.
“Maybe we’re alright because we fought it off before it could do too much damage. Regardless, we’re in enemy territory, so we need to get moving.” Ezekiel took a look at his surroundings, but it was no use. He couldn’t recognize where he was with all the debris. The only thing he could tell was a general direction of east and west, thanks to the slowly brightening sky coming from one direction.
Taking off at a slight jog, he hoped that he would run into his team members sooner, rather than later. Which, fortunately for him, seemed to be the case as a large indigo bird rose into the sky ahead of him. He felt relief at the familiar figure of Filia’s Spirit but was still concerned. Questions filled his mind as he moved to meet up with his team.
What had happened here? Where were Garrad and Nonette? Why had he been left alone? Were there any Cruor that were after them?
A part of him dreaded getting these answers. But he knew that he would need them. To keep going forward when he had no idea what was going on was something he knew that he couldn’t afford to do. No matter how terrible the truth might end up being.
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As Filia and the rest landed a few meters away from Ezekiel, it was Herend that first caught Ezekiel’s attention. For some reason, he could see that Herend was incredibly nervous of him. As if he was scared of something that Ezekiel was going to do to them. But regardless of that apparent fear, Herend still moved forward with his team members.
Looking around, Ezekiel saw that none of Nonette’s team was there, and couldn’t help but wonder why.
“What’s going on?” Ezekiel asked. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been out of it since I set off the explosives. Whatever was going on with that Spine thing was really volatile. We’ll need to figure out a way to set them off from a distance if we want to do that again.”
He tried to play things off as a bit lighthearted, not wanting to make things even more tense than they already were. But as the group winced and looked around the destroyed area, Ezekiel could tell that he hadn’t succeeded.
“Guys... What happened? Where are we, and why did I wake up in the middle of a completely devastated area?” Ezekiel finally decided to just come and ask. “I hate to say it, but it looks a bit like you left me alone in the middle of a massive battlefield. I know that you wouldn’t do that, but I think I deserve to know what happened.”
The silence was deafening for a few moments, but Herend stepped forward when Philip and Filia gave him a look. Ezekiel realized that he was likely the only one that had any idea of what had happened.
“I can’t tell you what happened to you when the Spine was destroyed. But after we investigated due to the size of the explosion, we retreated when a large group of Cruor appeared.” Herend said. “To keep things short for now, we retreated. The other team managed to get away when the Cruor decided to focus on us, since they discovered you were a Void Mage.”
Ezekiel was shocked to hear this. He had seen no traces of any Cruor in the area. But he could understand it if the Cruor were destroyed by whatever magic occurred that had torn up the forest. But that didn’t explain how there was evidence of elemental magic that could’ve only been cast by the other group.
“As for how they figured it out, and how this place ended up like this... That was all you.” Herend explained. “While we were being chased, you seemed like you were in a trance. Your eyes turned into a dark abyss filled with stars. You nearly beheaded a Legendary Cruor, possibly a Peerage Member. Then you killed several Adept and lower Cruor while we fled, with the Guild leaders holding off the Cruor leaders.”
Here is where Herend stopped talking for a moment. It was as if something was holding him back from continuing. There was fear on his face, as well as regret. Something that was matched on Filia and Philip’s faces as well.
“But... as we kept running, we couldn’t get away. Then, each of us felt a sense of foreboding, and danger, emanating from you. All our Spirits said the same thing; ‘Kick him off!’” Herend couldn’t look Ezekiel in the eye. Not after he had been the one to throw Ezekiel to the Cruor.
For his part, Ezekiel was shocked. What Herend was saying was quite clear. Ezekiel had done something, and whatever it was terrified his team’s Spirits, to the point where they felt the need to leave him, potentially for dead.
“For some reason, the Cruor couldn’t sense what we did. But, as you fell, they chased after you, instead of us, which let us break free and get away. That’s the only reason we’re not dead right now. Because as you fell below the tree line, elemental mana of every type exploded out of you, at level nearing the peak of Tier three.”
Ezekiel couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it. Herend’s words were just too incredible for him to comprehend. He knew full well the consequences of mixing Void mana with other elements. Without imposing his ‘nothingness’ on it, the elemental Magic that Void mana touched was enhanced to the point where it would backlash and harm him.
But he paused before he could express his disbelief. If he had been using his magic subconsciously in the real world, like a mirror in comparison to in his mindscape and soul space, then it was possible. The use of his ‘nothingness’ would, possibly, prevent the mana from backlashing and harming him. Dissipating as it neared him but lashing outwards and destroying his surroundings.
“I... I don’t want to believe you... But I can see how such a thing might be possible...” Ezekiel said. “Filia, I need you to examine my soul. A deep scan. Don’t be gentle. Just be comprehensive.”
“Are you sure she needs to do that?” Shine asked with a hint of concern in their voice. “Neither of us have noticed anything, and I don’t think it would be a good thing if she finds something.”
“I know. But I want to be certain. Even if it means risking them turning on us.” Ezekiel replied.
The three members of the Wandering Titans were shocked. Just then, Filia and Herend recalled what they had noticed before. How Ezekiel had been rotting from the inside out. They had been so shocked by Ezekiel’s seemingly healthy condition, that they hadn’t remembered that he’d seemingly been dying just a few minutes ago.
The two rushed forward. Herend wasn’t particularly skilled with healing. Water wasn’t the most effective for it, after all, but he could still do an inspection. Filia also became worried about Ezekiel’s soul, as there hadn’t been any noticeable effects when she had first checked in the Cruor camp.
To say they were shocked when they saw the state of his body and soul was an understatement. Physically, Ezekiel was in perfect condition, besides a bit of fatigue that could be shrugged off for now. Where Herend had previously seen necrotizing organs and rotting flesh was fresh and healthy body parts that didn’t have any indications of injury or decay.
On Filia’s side of things, she immediately noticed that Ezekiel’s mana capacity had grown by leaps and bounds. His mana was solidly at the middle of Tier three. Almost the same Step as her own. But that wasn’t the thing that was most surprising. As she delved deeper and deeper, examining every nook and cranny she could find, she found the connection to Shine. The Spiritual bond that was unique and special for each and every Hunter.
On occasion, she had seen such bonds before, but this one was nearly five times larger than most other bonds she had heard of. It was so large that the flow of mana between Ezekiel and Shine was almost unnoticeable. Rather than two tanks connected by a small tube, it was more like two tanks with holes cut into them and attached together, with only a slider to prevent the mana from directly mixing.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Filia also found that both Ezekiel and Shine’s soul had been strained. Shine’s more so than Ezekiel’s but seemed to be on the way to recovery. Far more quickly than she would’ve thought for whatever had happened to them. Though she did not actually understand what had happened. Only that the forces involved should’ve taken much more out of them.
“Other than some strain, I’m not seeing anything wrong with yours, or Shine’s soul. Though you are as powerful as I am at this point.” As Filia said this, Herend and Philip looked at her in shock. They could only sense Ezekiel’s current mana, which was barely at Step one, so they weren’t aware of his increase in power.
Ezekiel ignored their shocked looks and gazed at Filia intensely. She noticed this, and the confused relief she was starting to feel faded away.
“Are you certain? Absolutely certain that you didn’t find anything in my soul that shouldn’t be there?” Ezekiel said, a nearly frantic concern filling him as he asked. He needed to be certain.
“Ezekiel, you need to calm down.” Shine said at the back of Ezekiel’s mind. “If she said she didn’t find anything, then that’s a good thing. Stop panicking.”
“Ezekiel, are you alright?” Filia asked. She was starting to worry. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Ezekiel was silent for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he should say it or not. But he knew that things were not going to just go away if he didn’t say anything. Though, he knew that this might not be the best time to say it.
“If you didn’t find anything, then that means there’s nothing to worry about. Not right now, at least.” Ezekiel said. His words didn’t bring the Wandering Titans much comfort, but they understood that he didn't want to talk about it right now. They had also examined him thoroughly, so it couldn’t have been that bad. “For now, I think we need to continue to the city. There’s no telling how much longer the Guild Leaders can hold out. We won’t make it if they catch up to us.”
Realizing that Ezekiel was right, and that they had allowed them to become distracted due to the strange events that had happened, Filia had her Spirit enlarge itself again. While they were apprehensive of allowing Ezekiel on their back once again, they allowed it after failing to sense the extreme danger from before. But regardless of their need to retreat, it was obvious that things wouldn’t just be dropped without addressing them again later. Something Herend brought up after they had taken to the sky.
“Ezekiel... When we report to our superiors, or if Leader Garrad or Nonette manage to escape and catch up to us, you’re going to have to finish explaining everything. Especially how you increased your power so much in literally less than a day.” Herend said with a grave tone of voice.
Ezekiel didn’t reply, but as Herend stared at him, with guilt and worry plastered on his face, he knew that he would be answering questions not long from now. So, he just nodded in acceptance and understanding. Hopefully, they wouldn’t kill him out right for what he accidentally did. But the future was always filled with the unknown.
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It wasn’t much later that two streaks of light, green and dull orange, reached them. Flying at speeds much faster than what Filia’s Spirit could reach, Garrad and Nonette had caught up. It had been nearly fifteen minutes or so since they had left the destroyed clearing. Showing just how much of a head start they had gotten over the battling Legendaries.
Seeing as everyone was tired, the group landed and made camp in a hidden cavern that Garrad made near an area where the topsoil had been cleared due to a previous battle. The solid stone shelter helped them to feel a semblance of comfort as the Wandering Titans’ Adepts filled in the Guild Leaders regarding what had happened.
Once they got to the end of the explanation, with Ezekiel filling them in on what little he did when he had awoken in the clearing, Garrad and Nonette fell into silence as they pondered what had happened. While they weren’t certain of the specifics, they knew that Ezekiel had something else he needed to tell them.
“Ezekiel.” Garrad called out to the young man sitting in one of the deeper areas of the small cavern he had made. “What happened when you passed out in the camp?”
Ezekiel was silent for a moment. He knew that there wasn’t any getting away from this. Garrad was strong enough that he couldn’t just hide things behind half-truths and placating words. He’d rather Nonette not be there, since he trusted the Wandering Titans that were they quite a bit. But this was still pushing his limits.
“Maybe we can wait for now? Tell them something that will hold them over for a little bit?” Shine suggested. “But... if we do, that might make things harder for them later on, won’t it.”
Ezekiel was glad to see that Shine was learning more about the various hang ups that Ezekiel had to deal with when it came to things like this. He was also exceptionally glad that Shine was behind him all the way. At least he knew there was one person who would be on his side when he finished his explanation.
“Well... I think you would both agree that the substance that made up the Spine was much more volatile than we expected.” Ezekiel said, to which the Guild Leaders nodded. “Well, I think that occurred because of the mana that had been absorbed, but not processed, by the Spire itself. An entire region’s worth of mana, contained and converted into Ichor to create the Desolate Miasma. Needless to say, there was a lot of mana that was being artificially held onto.”
“And how did that affect you? The mana was mixed with Ichor, even if it wasn’t fully absorbed, it’s not like it’s usable for Mages or Spirits.” Nonette cut in.
Garrad stayed silent, his gaze turning intense as he looked at Ezekiel. His mind was running a thousand miles a second. It seemed like he had some idea of what had happened.
“Apparently, that wasn’t the case for me.” Ezekiel finally said. “It seems like I was able to absorb the mana that was absorbed into the Ichor. Though, not without a great risk.”
Nonette and her Spirit reeled back, while Filia gasped in shock, and Herend and Philip took defensive stances. All of them knew that a Void Mage that absorbed Ichor turned into a Cruor. But they didn’t outright attack Ezekiel. He had been fully inspected, and no mutations or Ichor had been seen inside him.
“Garrad...” Nonette muttered to the only one who hadn’t reacted to Ezekiel’s words.
“What happened? Why aren’t you a Cruor right now?” Garrad asked. “I can tell that you haven’t mutated. Nor have you lost your mind, obviously. So, something else must’ve happened to keep you clean, right?”
“Yeah. Something appeared in my mindscape. It took a bite out of Shine’s soul, and made me nearly go insane from whatever it did to me. It was like the elements were trying to destroy me from the inside out. But, after my soul managed to sustain itself, I fought off this... strange ooze creature that seemed to be trying to eat my soul.” Ezekiel said. “I used something that Exalt Harras explained was a power needed to reach Tier five to fight it off. Otherwise, I don’t think I would be talking to you right now.”
“A Power unique to Tier five?” Garrad exclaimed incredulously. “What can you do?”
Ezekiel held up a hand. It seemed like the rest were still wary of him, but they weren’t reacting to his movements, so he considered that a plus.
“Channel your mana for a spell. I can show you.” Ezekiel said. Garrad did so, and as the mana gathered in Garrad’s hand, Ezekiel reached forward. Poking the gathered mana with his ‘nothingness’ the mana that Garad had channeled disappeared.
Garrad recoiled in shock, and the rest all readied themselves for an attack, but the Cavern Hunter waved them down.
“It’s fine! He didn’t hurt me. It was just... a surprise, that’s all.” Garrad said. “The Exalt; he knows about this?”
“I used it in the sparring match he forced me into.” Ezekiel explained. “He said that it’s something that only those with a powerful enough soul can achieve. Usually, only Legendaries. It’s what allows a Legendary to withstand the might of a Mythical being’s mana pressure. Anyone without it will just collapse.”
Garrad rubbed his chin in thought. He had learned several shocking things today, and he wasn’t sure what to think about it. Especially the fact that Ezekiel had, apparently, already discovered a secret for reaching Tier five. Something he wasn’t even aware of yet. Though he did have an itch in the back of his mind, trying to tell him something, he wasn’t sure what.
“Ah! I should mention that this power is unique to every potential Mythic. Yours would be unique to your element. Embodying a concept related to Caverns, and the earth.” Ezekiel further explained.
Garrad paused, the feeling he had in the back of his mind grew stronger, but it was like grabbing at a spiderweb that was just out of reach, all without tearing it to shreds. He realized that he was getting off topic and decided to think about it more later. There were more important things to worry about right now.
“Haaaahgg...” Garrad let out a tired sigh. “We’ll talk with the Exalt when we return. Filia, Herend, I trust your diagnosis, so we won’t take any extreme actions at this time. We’ll rest up here until everyone’s mana is back in full, then we’ll head back to Harken. No stalling, just a straight shot to the city. If we actually manage to run into one of the patrols, either Nonette or I will explain things briefly while the rest move on. Understood?”
“Yes sir!” The Adepts, including Ezekiel, all replied. Nonette looked at Ezekiel with a hint of suspicion, but it seemed like she was willing to follow Garrad’s lead for now.
As for Ezekiel. He and Shine were still apprehensive of what was going to happen to them. They had been deemed safe for now. But only the Exalt would be able to determine if that would continue to be true for long.
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It was several hours later, in midafternoon, when the team had left their temporary shelter. It took them the better part of an hour to get within viewing distance of Harkem. Even then, while they saw several patrol teams on their way, none of them bothered to stop them.
It seemed like Nonette’s team had passed through here, however, so it was possible that they had informed the city of what had happened. Though it couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours since the news would’ve spread.
But that didn’t stop the party from noticing that there seemed to be a frantic reconstruction of the various defenses surrounding the city. As it was, multiple teams seemed to be moving about, with even more reinforcements than there were several days ago. Just from this, Ezekiel and the rest could tell that something had happened.
Upon reaching the city itself, the party ended up being brought directly to the Exalt, where they met up with Adepts from Nonette’s team. Tory, in particular, was sitting anxiously as he seemed to be uncomfortable being in the presence of the Exalt.
“I see you’re all here. Good. Perhaps you can go into further detail regarding what Tory, over here, failed to fully explain.” Exalt Harras said, his raised voice causing Tory to flinch.
Mentally tired from the events that had occurred, Garrad couldn’t help but ask what he had told him, so as to know what the Exalt wanted to know.
Apparently, Tory had originally mentioned how they had found a Cruor encampment near the border of the Cruor’s fully controlled area, and that there was, apparently, a device that would create the miasma that would spread the Desolate Land to cover this region.
However, after receiving criticism from some of the Hunters that he was acquainted with, in particular, those of noble descent, Tory had seemingly backtracked. Stuttering and contradicting himself, before finally saying that he didn’t actually know what their party had found. Just that the Guild Leaders had sent him back and told him to get the city prepared.
Needless to say, Nonette and Garrad were not happy, and they made their feelings known.
CRASH!!!
Tory ended up flying out the window from where Garrad had thrown him. Looking over to Nonette and the Exalt, his glare softened, and his posture relaxed.
“I apologize for my actions, Exalt Harras, Guild Leader Nonette. But that man’s incompetence and inability to do anything other than simper over the words of nobility, regardless of orders or instructions, snapped the last of my fraying nerves.” Garrad explained.
“It’s fine. That man wasn’t worth my attention anyways.” Exalt Harras said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be kicking him out of the Guild when we’re done here anyways.” Nonette said. “If I may, Exalt Harras, what did these three tell you?” She gestured to Jill, Mac, and Yara.
Fortunately, it seemed like the others had explained things fairly accurately, and other than confirming a few facts, Garrad and Nonette didn’t have much more to add. Though, Exalt Harras did look at Garrad as he explained a few things.
“What else is there? You’re both hiding something, though it seems like it isn’t as important as discovering the source of the Desolate Land’s miasma.” Exalt Harras asked.
Garrad and Nonette shifted uncomfortably. But it wasn’t them who replied.
“It’s about me, sir. I came into direct contact with the altered Ichor in the Spine. There haven’t been any lasting effects. But you know the reputation regarding Void Mages and Ichor. Don’t you?” Ezekiel said, his heart beating in his chest like a jackhammer.
Exalt Harras’ eyes hardened as he glared at the party. But Ezekiel had moved to the front of the group, so it was mostly focused on him. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath and sighed, looking at the rest for a moment before gesturing towards the door.
“Get out. I need to speak with our young Void Mage in private.” Exalt Harras said.
The others fled the room fairly quickly, though Garrad and the Wandering Titans momentarily lingered. But Ezekiel gave them a nod, silently saying that he needed to do this, and that they should go.
Turning to the Exalt as the others left the room, a seal appeared over the broken window, and Ezekiel felt a weight fall on his shoulders once again. Though this time was much easier to resist.
“Alright then... Talk!”
Ezekiel had never told his side of the story faster in his entire life.