Ezekiel stood in the middle of a large magic circle composed of several defensive and restrictive formations. The room itself was reinforced and enchanted to the maximum capacity that it could be, and there were several Scholars and members of Exalt Harras’ household nearby. There were only about a dozen people in total, but half of them were Legendary or higher.
Each and every one of them had been forced to sign a contract stating that they wouldn’t share or spread any information regarding what was about to occur. It was restrictive to the point where execution was a definite possibility should anyone let information slip at any point.
Of the people that were there, only three figures stood out to Ezekiel. The first was Naeri, the current head of all healing operations in the city at the moment. The second was Exalt Harras, and the third was Harolt, the most senior member of Harken’s Cathedral. The man that had supported Ezekiel as best he could when he was banished.
There were three other Legendaries, chosen from Harras’ household. But Ezekiel didn’t really care too much about them. He figured that they were there purely for security. Though, he did wonder if security was needed if the Exalt was nearby.
“So... Please walk me through this again.” Ezekiel said as he looked at the small vial of Ichor that had been given to him. “Also, what guarantee do I have that you aren’t using this as an excuse to kill me?”
Exalt Harras just looked disinterested, but otherwise seemed like he didn’t want to be there anymore than Ezekiel did. Harolt and Naeri, on the other hand, looked insulted.
“First of all, rude. Secondly, I would’ve thought that given how hard we fought for you eight years ago, that you would be able to show a little bit of trust to me and Naeri.” Harolt didn’t bother looking up from the large device that he was working on. “Besides, the Exalt doesn’t need to go through all these hoops if he wants to kill you. Also, this was mine and Naeri’s idea, not his.”
Ezekiel looked at Naeri in shock. He hadn’t expected the old family friend and mentor to his parents to suggest this kind of experiment. For her part, Naeri tried to hold a straight face, but was ultimately the first to break eye contact under Ezekiel’s gaze.
She and the handful of Life and Death Mages gathered behind her shifted uncomfortably. They all knew full well how dangerous this experiment was likely to be.
“You understand that, if I can’t fight it off after I take it in, I’ll be lucky if all that happens is I die, right?” Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel nervous. He wanted to reject this experiment, but there was no guarantee that he would die. If anything, there was a high chance that he would live, since he had already, technically, survived doing this. Even if the Ichor at that time had been different than the norm.
“I mean, technically, in the past, Void Mages just turned into first generation Cruor. Not utterly mindless beasts, so, it’s possible that that’s what will happen.” Shine strained to say this in a lighthearted tone. Ezekiel did not feel comforted.
“It’s becoming a Cruor that I have problems with. I’m almost certain that they have a connection to their Brood masters. I’d rather not have my soul become enslaved, thank you.” Ezekiel couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through his body at that thought.
“Hunter Luminance.” Exalt Harras interrupted before Either of the Grand Scholars could reply. “While I have my own reservations regarding this experiment, you cannot deny that you are the only one that can take part as the subject. Nor can you deny that, by witnessing the effects of Ichor on your body upon absorption, it would not be useful in future treatments.”
Ezekiel’s face twisted into a reluctant grimace as he couldn’t disagree with Exalt Harras’ words. But that didn’t mean that he was looking forward to this.
“If it’s any consolation, the only reason I’m allowing this is because it was requested by the Grand Scholars. If it were a Guild Leader or noble that had made this request, then I would have simply said no, and ensured that no one, at all, would be able to force you into it.” Against his better judgment, Ezekiel was somewhat comforted by Exalt Harras’ words.
“He’s still dragging you into a death zone in a few days.” Shine grumbled in discontent.
“True, but it’s nice to know that he’s not simply throwing us to the wolves.” Ezekiel sighed as he uncorked the vial in his hands.
“Out of curiosity,” Ezekiel paused before pouring the Ichor on his bare arm, “what Tier of Cruor was this from?”
“A Fanged Cruor of the First Tier. We didn’t want to start with anything too powerful.” Harolt replied.
The low Tier of the Cruor did make Ezekiel feel a little bit more confident. Though he was certain that they had stronger Ichor samples. Likely they would be moving to higher Tiers if things turned out well after they tested this batch.
“Alright, let’s see what this does...” Ezekiel cautiously poured the Ichor on his arm.
It smeared across his skin like oil. Like usual, Ezekiel felt nothing, but as he sat down, dropping the vial onto the floor, he began to focus on the Ichor as he fell into a meditative state. Closing his eyes as he began to feel for something, anything, coming from his arm, he didn’t even notice as the formations on the floor lit up beneath him.
For several seconds, nothing seemed to happen. After nearly a minute passed, Harolt was just about to call out Ezekiel’s name. But before he could, the Ichor on Ezekiel’s arm briefly glowed, and immediately dried up, turning into an ashy powder that crumbled to the ground.
“Ezekiel; are you ok--” A sudden pulse of something emanated from Ezekiel before Naeri could finish.
Everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spine as they felt their mana be affected by whatever it was. The enchantments engraved into the floor blinked. Their glow seemed to stutter for a moment before fizzling out, the mana fully spent. Exalt Harras raised an eyebrow at the familiar feeling of Ezekiel’s ‘nothingness’.
“Eurk!” Ezekiel nearly threw himself forward as he tried to stop himself from throwing up.
Naeri and the healers ran forward, even as one of the Exalt’s Legendary Hunters threw a hand forward. Shackles of stone flew forward and wrapped around Ezekiel’s limbs. He was now completely immobilized.
“Damn... That wasn’t fun...” Ezekiel muttered as the healers and Death Mages checked his body and soul for corruption.
“What happened? Has he been corrupted?” Harolt found that the equipment he was using wasn’t working anymore, so he had no choice but to wait for Naeri’s analysis.
For a moment, there was no noise besides Ezekiel’s breathing as he tried to calm himself down.
For her part, Naeri was totally focused on checking each and every piece of Ezekiel that she could. But from what she could tell, nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Physically, he’s fine.” She looked to one of the Death Mages. “How’s his soul?”
A moment of silence as the Death Mages finished their checks. After they stopped, they all shared a look before shaking their heads.
“Nothing has changed, though it seems like his mana increased by a negligible amount for his Tier.” One of the Death Mages took the lead and replied. “I would say that Grand Scholar Harolt is the only one that could counter our words at this point.”
“No need. Although I’m at a higher Tier than you, my focus has never been on the healing and cleansing aspects of Death. If anything, I might hurt him if I dive too deep to check.” Harolt shook his head. “What I’m more curious about is why he had such an adverse reaction to this Ichor, when the Ichor he touched at the Spine would’ve been much more powerful.”
“Mana concentration.” Ezekiel quietly said as he focused his mana internally. Finding nothing wrong, he allowed himself to relax a bit. Though the shackles were making him uncomfortable. “This Ichor had so little mana in it, there was basically nothing for me to absorb, so it was a bit more of a strain to fight off. The fact that it took a different form also surprised me.”
“Surprise?” Harolt and Naeri were confused. What had been different about this Ichor.
“Was the figure you fought off different?” Exalt Harras asked. “You said the... being, that you fought took the form of some sort of ooze. One of the very rare kinds of Cruor that basically never leaves the center of the Desolate Lands. Was the Being you fought a Fanged Cruor?”
“Yeah. Basically, I was stupid, and overconfident. It got a hit on me before I killed it, and I woke up immediately afterwards. My reaction was more out of shock.” Ezekiel explained.
“Now you know not to take things for granted.” Shine was not happy with Ezekiel right now. They had told Ezekiel to be careful, but his overconfidence at seeing a Tier one Fanged Cruor, which they had killed scores of by now, had caused him to be hurt, ever so slightly.
“I see...” Exalt Harras held his chin in thought. “Release him. Tell us in detail exactly what happened in your mindscape. Spare no detail.”
Ezekiel rubbed his wrists and ankles as the stone shackles flew away. But as he turned to Exalt Harras, he began retelling his experience.
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A couple of seconds after closing his eyes to meditate, Ezekiel felt a strange sucking sensation on his arm. For a brief moment, he wondered if this was what other Mages felt when they were exposed to Ichor. But his thoughts didn’t linger as he attempted to pull on the feeling in his arm.
He almost thought he could feel the wind rushing past his face as he found his consciousness entering his mindscape. Remembering what had happened last time, he immediately sought out Shine.
Fortunately, he found Shine quite easily, and the familiar figure of his bonded Spirit quickly approached their now shared mindscape.
“Have you seen anything?” Ezekiel asked as he examined himself. “This isn’t the same as before. What do you think--”
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“MOVE!” Shine screamed as they slammed Ezekiel to the side.
From behind him, a figure that looked like a skinless hound with horns and claws sprouting from its body in various places, as well as fangs that didn’t entirely fit inside its mouth appeared. Unlike the last time, this figure was much smaller. Only coming up to Ezekiel’s knees.
“Wait. Is that it?” Ezekiel asked in an incredulous voice. “That thing’s barely Tier one. What the hell?”
“Don’t let your guard down! It nearly got you!” Shine exclaimed as Ezekiel turned to look at him.
“Right, right. Sorry. I won’t-” Ezekiel found himself cut off as the Cruor entity leapt towards him.
He had yet to put his guard up. Too shocked at the sheer difference between the two entities that had invaded his soul. Before he knew what had happened, he found several spikes piercing through his gut, even as Shine moved to defend.
“Ezekiel!” Shine tore the Cruor out of Ezekiel’s stomach, throwing the little beast to the side.
“OuTSiDer!!!” The Cruor let loose a warbled growl as it came around for another strike.
This time, however, Ezekiel was prepared. He dodged to the side, bringing a fist infused with his ‘nothingness’ directly into the Cruor’s side. Releasing his mana in an instant, the Cruor let loose a howl of pain before veins of starlight spread through its body. A moment later, it shattered into nothing.
Much like before, Ezekiel didn’t trust that this was the end, so he gathered his mana and let loose a pulse of ‘nothingness’ into his surroundings. After a moment, nothing else seemed to happen, and he fell to his knees, holding his stomach in pain.
“That was so stupid!” Shine was practically crying. “Why did you let your guard down like that?”
“... Just... surprised... I expected so much more, but it was so little.” Ezekiel grit his teeth. While it wasn’t the worst injury he’d had before, soul wounds were a pain to deal with.
If it wasn’t for Shine activating their soul resonance, it was likely that it would take a day or two to fully recover. As it was, he would probably only feel nauseous when he woke up.
Given that he could feel the sensation of falling suddenly overcome him, he realized that that would be right now.
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Ezekiel was hanging his head as he finished his explanation. He might not be a true veteran when compared to other Hunters, but he was still too experienced to be making such stupid mistakes. The shame he felt when he saw the disappointed looks sent his way were quite unpleasant. Though he knew that he deserved it.
“I don’t think I need to tell you how you failed, do I?” Exalt Harras said after a moment of silence. “Never let your guard down when it comes to the Cruor. Even if their power is unexpectedly weak.”
“Yes, Exalt.” Was all Ezekiel could say. “I promise you that it won’t happen again.”
“Good. Now get ready. You’re doing this again.” Ezekiel couldn’t help but slump in defeat as he heard the Exalts command.
“Yes. Exalt.” Taking another vial of Ichor in hand and wiping the remains of the previous vial off his arm, Ezekiel opened it as everyone moved back.
“Harolt, don’t bother with any additional equipment. It’ll fail again if you try.” Harolt looked disappointed but couldn’t disagree. It was clear that, to be safe, Ezekiel would have to express his ‘nothingness’ to ensure that nothing lingered.
“Very well. This vial is from a Tier two Bone Cruor. Apparently, the type of Cruor the Ichor comes from indicates what the entity you face will be.” Ezekiel nodded his head in understanding. He had already figured that out, but it was nice to have a like mind to support his hypothesis.
“I figured. Alright. Three. Two. One.” Ezekiel poured the Ichor on his arm yet again.
Sitting down to meditate, the room fell silent as they watched and waited.
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It was only several hours later that they finally stopped testing. After the first Tier two Ichor vial was used, they slowly worked their way up to Adept Tier. Eventually, they reached the peak of Tier three, but it was just after Ezekiel had finished using this last vial that the Healers and Death Mages told him to stop.
“His soul is being strained. Which makes sense, since these battles are being fought inside his soul.” Naeri explained when Exalt Harras asked why they were stopping. “As it is, had his soul been Tier three, we would’ve seen this much sooner. In truth, I think this strain is more due to him having to carry the burden of his Spirit’s soul, than any burden on his own.”
For his part, Ezekiel was resting at the side of the room, propped up against the wall. Sweat was running down his forehead, and his breathing was fairly heavy. But even though he was exhausted and strained, he was still able to hear Naeri’s words without issue.
“Don’t let her get to you. If you weren’t there to help me, I wouldn’t be doing half as well as I am right now.” Ezekiel reassured Shine before they could start feeling down.
“I know. I’m getting better at not letting the difference in our strengths get to me.” Though they tried to hide it, Ezekiel could still feel the sadness in Shine’s tone. “Besides, I’m not too far off from Tier four. Give it a few more months and my soul will be able to handle it just fine.”
“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.” Ezekiel smiled as he pushed himself up, making his way over to the Grand Scholars and Exalt Harras.
“So, I know there’s still a lot that needs to be done regarding the testing, but I’m kind of tired. Can I go take a nap?” Ezekiel was as bland as he could be when he asked this.
The most powerful figures in the room turned to him. Exalt Harras looked him over, thoughts racing behind his eyes like the Lightning he commanded.
To the sides, Naeri looked at him with a pitying glance before hardening her features. It was obvious she felt sorry for him, but this was wartime. She couldn’t afford to be too merciful. They all had a duty that they needed to fulfill.
It was actually Harolt that addressed him. But he seemed to be more preoccupied with his notes. Though he did take a moment to look over Ezekiel’s condition.
“I think that should be fine. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t get our equipment working, but I think your experiences should be enough for us to create some hypotheses and be ready for more tomorrow.” Ezekiel looked despondent at Harolt’s words.
“Will there be any chance of me getting any down time this week? I promised that I would spend as much time with my parents as possible. It’s been eight years since we spent time together as a family, after all.” Ezekiel had really been hoping to catch up and reconnect. But given the new circumstances, it looked like that wouldn’t be possible.
“...Take tomorrow off. Even Guild Leaders are given some down time when they return from missions into Cruor territories, and the Desolate Land. We can’t have you burning out before the expedition begins.” Exalt Harras knew that all weapons needed proper maintenance. As did the Hunters under his command.
Ezekiel, for his part, looked relieved. While it wasn’t possible for him to spend the entire week with his parents anymore, having a full day would still be nice.
“Thank you, Exalt. I’ll be sure to report back here either tomorrow evening, or the morning of the day after tomorrow.” Ezekiel bowed to the Exalt to express his thanks before turning to Naeri and Harolt. “I don’t suppose there’s a room here that I can use. It’ll be easier than returning to the unaffiliated Hunter’s barracks.”
“Of course. I’ll bring you there now. We actually have a surprising amount of space at the moment.” Naeri guided Ezekiel from the room. Leading him to another wind of the Cathedral after bidding Harras and Harolt goodbye.
As they walked through the damaged Cathedral, Ezekiel saw that, even though they weren’t out of the woods just yet, reconstruction had already begun. From what he could tell, it seemed like over half of the damage had already been repaired. Perhaps, by the time they made it back from the expedition, it would already be back in pristine condition.
“Here we are.” Naeri opened the door to a very basic room with a cot and a desk with a small window showing the city. “It's not much, but it’s no worse than the barracks.”
“This is perfect. Thank you.” Ezekiel yawned as he entered.
“I’ll leave you to your rest. Recover quickly, and perhaps we can catch up later.” Naeri left Ezekiel alone, heading off to continue with her duties.
Dragging himself over to the cot, he collapsed onto it, letting himself relax for a moment, and nearly falling asleep.
“... Are we still going to give it a shot?” Shine tentatively asked. They could clearly see that Ezekiel was tired, but given what they had spoken about earlier, they weren’t sure that he actually wanted to fall asleep just yet.
During the testing, the amount of mana they absorbed from the Ichor they had taken in was miniscule. Especially when compared to the amount in the Ichor from the Spine. However, given the sheer amount of mana they had taken in, they had still managed to reach Step six, and were closing in on Step Seven quite quickly.
“Yeah, we’re still going to give it a shot.” Ezekiel sat up, forcing down a yawn. “I may need you to share with me. But we should definitely be able to get me to the next Step tonight. Then we can push you up tomorrow, for sure.”
“Then let’s do this.” Shine nearly seemed to vibrate in excitement. They were always excited to make a breakthrough, but Ezekiel couldn’t say that he was any different.
Falling into his meditation, he began reaching out to the world around him. Slowly gathering mana within himself to make a breakthrough to the next Step.
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Back in the room where Ezekiel had been tested, Harras and Harolt were discussing the results of the testing. For the most part, nothing had seemed wrong with testing, but it was obvious from the severe looks on the two men’s faces that something was going on.
“Leave us. I need to discuss something with the Grand Scholar.” The other Legendaries all saluted before exiting the room. As for the Scholars, they also scurried from the room as fast as possible.
Seeing that they were alone, Harras addressed Harolt directly.
“So, what are the results?” Harras’ voice was quiet, as if he was worried about being overheard.
“Hah... Unfortunately, it seems like my concerns were correct.” Harolt looked like he had aged ten more years as he spoke. “Ichor is, in fact, not a separate substance from mana, like it had been theorized since the days of the Ancients. It is simply the physical manifestation of mana in a biological form.”
“Then does that mean that the Cruor were originally some sort of Spirit?” Harras wasn’t as knowledgeable as Harolt in these matters, but he knew most of the theories when it came to the Brood’s and Cruor’s origins when compared to the Ancients.
“No. Spirits are not actually biological lifeforms. They are simply sapient mana constructs with a soul that mimic biological life.” Harolt shook his head as he explained. “As it is, I think that we can safely rule out the theory that the Broods and the Cruor are outsiders from another world.”
One of the most prevalent theories regarding the origins of the Broods that had made the Cruor was that they were originally outsiders that had come to this world from beyond. The Ancients, being the native original lifeforms of this planet, had fought them off and sealed them away when they couldn’t get rid of the Broods.
This theory was supported by the fact that Ichor seemed to negate mana. As well as the fact that Cruor would eat mana but have to convert it to Ichor to grow. If Ichor was actually just another form of mana, then that meant that it was more likely that the Broods were actually natives to this world, just like the Ancients.
“I don’t think I need to tell you to keep these theories to yourself, do I?” Exalt Harras seemed to loom over the elderly Grans Scholar. But rather than be intimidated, Harolt just scoffed in derision.
“Obviously. There are too many ingrained beliefs and delusions amongst the general populace. I’ll be locking this down under the Church’s highest security. Only Grand Scholars that have sworn the proper oaths of secrecy will have access.” Harolt explained.
“That’s not enough.” Exalt Harras was displeased. He didn’t want anyone to know about this at all. Not even the other Cathedrals and Grand Scholars of the Church of Ten. Mana began to leak out from his body as he exuded pressure on Harolt.
“Well too bad. As a Grand Scholar, my loyalties are to the Church of Ten, first and foremost. Not the Empire. Not to you.” Harolt didn’t back down from Harras’ pressure. “Besides, you can’t stop it from being submitted to the Church’s Sacred Archives. Naeri has already done so by now.”
Exalt Harras released a small snap of Lighting. One that his Spirit flew to intercept before it could destroy a part of the room.
“I hold the safety of the world, as a whole, above the safety of the Empire.” Harolt stated. “So, know this, the Empire will not rule the world. I know that that is not your intention, but while you are certainly opposed to the Emperor’s current path, and the way he is utilizing the Inquisition, I know where your loyalties lie. I know you would let millions of non-imperial subjects die, if the Empire could gain an advantage over another faction.”
Exalt Harras looked away. Anger and frustration on his face, but no shame, nor guilt. He knew that Harolt’s words were true. Even now, the only reason he was handling Ezekiel with such a, relatively, gentle hand, was because he knew the Inquisition had little interest in the good of the Empire’s people. They only cared for the nobility. Something that was certain to push Ezekiel away.
“... Do not interfere in Imperial matters again. Do not forget that you operate in the Empire because it is permitted.” Harras turned to leave.
“Do not forget that the Church has plans for each and every defensive formation ever used by the Empire. Including their various weaknesses.” Harolt’s voice was cold and harsh. “Nor the fact that, although weakened, several Grand Scholars were once just as strong as you. So, be careful, else this expedition brings you back down to our level.”
Exalt Harras did not reply. He merely paused for a moment. Clenching his hand in anger, he strode from the room, leaving Harolt to his studies as he pondered over the notes that he had taken.