Ezekiel sat in his mother’s recovery room with his parents. His mother was resting in her bed with a number of enchanted bandages covering her arm. Apparently, they were meant to prepare her for the eventual regeneration that would occur. At the same time, his father sat next to her, giving her a hand with her food.
It was lunch time, and the family of three Mages and three Spirits were doing their best to simply enjoy each other’s presence. It was unfortunate that things needed to be delayed due to Ezekiel having to check in and sign a contract not to release the details of the Ichor experiments. But since it was a contract with the Church of Ten, not the Empire, he was much more willing to agree.
Currently, Ezekiel was regaling his parents with some of the tales of his experiments and inventions. The look of pride on his mother’s face when he told them how he had made several breakthroughs in enchanted scriptures brought warm feelings to his heart.
He also enjoyed telling them about the little adventures he got up to when it came to his friends at the Sanafalls Cathedral. As well as the odd jobs he did here and there with Sasha, who had done well for herself. Even after her reservations regarding being an official Guild Hunter were brought up,
“-and then, the floor collapsed underneath him. Right on top of the room he was hiding the safe in. It was filled with countless other things, it was practically a trash heap, but we managed to find the money in the end.” Ezekiel had just finished narrating one of the jobs that Sasha had taken him on.
It was related to a merchant who was operating out of one of Sanafalls satellite islands. He had made several commissions for artifacts on behalf of several companies. Ultimately leading to him being in a great deal of debt. Specifically owed to the Church.
When the third deadline had passed, Ezekiel and Sasha were sent out with a couple of Scholars to go and collect. Ezekiel found himself quite surprised to be working as a debt collector, rather than a pirate hunter and Expedition aide.
Such jobs were much quieter than his other jobs for the Church. The ones when he was acting as a Scholar. He figured that his parents would be happier to hear about these stories than the near-death experiences of his other adventures. Especially given the current situation.
“That must’ve been incredibly messy.” Evelyn seemed much more cheerful than the day before. But even though she laughed at Ezekiel's stories, he could tell she was still upset at what was to come. “How in the world did he manage to hide so much from the Cavern Mage investigators?”
“He had the safe enchanted to float. A common enough enchantment when working in the Archipelago. So, he had it placed in a pool of water, which the Cavern Mages wouldn’t be able to use their tremor sensing to find.” Ezekiel explained. “They’d just come up blank, or it would look like a tub or basin. Nothing of particular interest. Quite smart, honestly. At least, smart for a guy who stuck around in the vicinity of the same people he owed debts to for as long as he did.”
The sheer gall and hubris of the man had disgusted Ezekiel when he had participated in the arrest. The man had enough artifacts and money saved from other elicit dealings that he could’ve easily gotten on a ship and moved to another island.
“... I’m happy that your time in exile wasn’t filled entirely with near death experiences...” Evelyn had her head bowed as she stared into her soup, lost in thought.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Ezekiel had done his best to avoid it, but it seemed like his mother wasn’t letting things go.
“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing we should be talking about right now.” Ezekiel was gentle with his words. “Yes. I’ve been through a lot. Neither I nor Shine would be Adepts at this age if we hadn't been. But the important thing is that I’m here with you. Sure, there’s still some bumps we need to pass over before things settle down for good. But I’m back, and I think that’s what matters most right now.”
“But we’re the ones that should’ve come to you!” Evelyn clenched her hands around her sheets. “We’re your parents. Regardless of what those Relics did to you; you’re our son. We should’ve protected you!”
Ezekiel saw tears dripping from his mother’s face. To the side, Warren turned and looked away. It was obvious that this was something that had been weighing on them for a long time.
From the letters and interactions that he had had with them so far, he was honestly just happy that they hadn’t forgotten him. But it was obvious that they had been doing their best to not allow themselves to fall apart. Most likely for his sisters.
“... Sometimes, the world is just too much... We are not Ancients. We are just people.” Ezekiel muttered as he reached out for his mother’s hand. “Though it wasn’t for as long as I think any of us thought it would be for, I know you both raised me right. If it wasn’t for the upbringing I had, with two amazing parents that loved me, despite my element, my life could’ve been far worse.”
Moving to the side of the bed, Ezekiel held both his parents in his arms. They felt so much smaller than when he was a child. Back then he would be held by just a single one of them. Now, the mighty figures he did and still looked up to, surprisingly seemed much closer to him than their eight years of separation would’ve implied.
For a moment, the family just stayed there. Quietly basking in each other’s presence as they calmed down. Their Spirits, sensing their partner’s feelings, made their way over. Taking up spots near their partners, the familiar weights of their Spirits helped the family calm down. The burden’s within them were shared once more.
Taking his seat once again, Ezekiel held out a napkin to his mother, which she used to wipe her tears. Giving her a smile, Ezekiel leaned back, before asking a few things about his sisters.
It was a nice distraction, and the family slowly became more upbeat as Evelyn and Warren took their turn to tell stories about the things that Wendy and Ellen got up to.
For the rest of the day, the Luminance family continued telling stories, went on walks through the area, and just enjoyed their time together. For as long as possible, they wanted to stick together.
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After a day of spending time with his parent’s Ezekiel found himself lying on his back as he stared at the ceiling of the testing room. He had just finished absorbing several vials of Tier three Ichor. The physical fatigue he felt was merely an illusion. But the spiritual strain he felt on his soul was very real.
The gains they achieved, however, made the entire thing worth it. At least when Ezekiel didn’t move or channel his mana. For now, anyways.
“We should take a break. Even with you carrying me, I’m still feeling really tired.” Shine was not happy that they needed to stop once again. But it was getting to the point where they simply weren’t able to provide any aid to Ezekiel anymore.
“This is not an ideal situation to be in right now.” Ezekiel muttered to himself as he gasped for breath. To the side, the same Scholars were once again examining him. Missing from the room were the Exalt and his followers. But they weren’t really needed anymore.
“I wouldn’t say that. I know that there’s a lot of people that would want to be in your position. After all, who else in the world could leap from Step three to Step Eight of Tier three in less than two days?” Harolt poked Ezekiel in the side with a toe. Looking down from above, the old man had an amused grin on his face.
“He’s got you there. Maybe we need to stop complaining?” Shine couldn’t help but feel a flash of concern as they realized just how fast they were pushing themselves.
“Although, I would suggest waiting for a little while before you Tier up. Shine’s soul isn’t quite strong enough to withstand peak Tier three mana just yet.” Harolt rubbed his chin in thought. “Although, they are also the only Spirit I’ve ever known to reach Tier three within ten years before. I haven’t heard of any Mages doing that either, as a matter of fact.”
Shine felt a swell of pride from hearing Harolt’s words. It felt nice to have someone other than Ezekiel praising him. A piece of the youthfulness that shone through, even after all their experiences so far. Though they also felt embarrassed at the reference to their age, and how they were so young.
Ezekiel swatted Harolt’s foot away as he rolled over. Grabbing Shine from where they were laying on the floor, he pushed himself up with a bit of effort.
“Technically speaking, you can count me in on that.” Ezekiel said. I only really started training and gathering mana when I reached Tier one, which was only a few months before Shine came to be.” Ezekiel huffed with exertion. But the pain was fading away to a dull soreness that would disappear within a day.
“Well, you’re a freak of nature, with a ridiculously powerful soul. So, I don’t think it’s fair to compare you with your Spirit.” Harolt turned and walked over to where he had a pile of broken equipment on a table. Several Scholars were examining them, to see if they could discern any methods of shielding them against Ezekiel’s mana.
“It’s a shame you keep breaking our things like this.” Harolt picked up one of the items. “Not only are we unable to examine what exactly is going on, but the sheer amount of money you now owe us is astronomical!”
“The sheer what?!” Ezekiel exclaimed in panic. Internally, Shine was also panicking, and shouting at Harolt in a manner that they couldn’t hear. The worry about the money had caused them to forget that they could technically speak if they used the right spell.
“Enough.” Naeri swatted the back of Harolt’s head with a clipboard. The old man flinched and ducked away when she followed up with another swing. “You don’t owe us anything, Ezekiel. None of the equipment is actually broken. The enchantments were simply made inert. A couple sparks of mana to jumpstart them and put them back into working order is all they need.”
“Oh, thank the Ancients!” Ezekiel nearly collapsed back onto the floor in relief. “I nearly had a heart attack when you mentioned money. I know full well how much the materials for this equipment cost. Let alone the manpower needed to put it all together.”
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“In that case, you should try to be more polite when people are examining you. You’re not the child you once were, you know. So, standing up under the pressure of a Legendary Mage won’t be as awe inspiring and as likely to invoke respect.” Harolt harrumphed and blocked Naeri’s clipboard with a fist. “Honestly... this is the first time we’ve ever met a Mage that’s fulfilled all the requirements to Tier up that wasn’t an elderly Scholar. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it really is disappointing that we need to wait for Shine to get stronger before you can reach Tier four.”
Ezekiel felt Shine’s mood take a turn for the worse. They both knew that Harolt didn’t truly mean anything insulting by it, but it was still upsetting for the Void Spirit. Something that Ezekiel wasn’t going to let stand. Not when, like Harolt said, Ezekiel was the freak of nature in this instance.
“Ow!” Harolt began hopping on one foot as a sharp pain lanced through it.
Ezekiel, smirking as he saw the old man hopping around, held his gun shaped fingers up to his face and blew. While it hurt his finger a little bit, with his reinforcement he could negate the pain. Meaning he could use his Void Stab spell with his finger and turn it into an overpowered poke.
“New spell? Naril couldn’t help but ask.
“Nope. Just a different use of an old one.” Ezekiel couldn’t help but shrug, not too concerned about what he did and didn’t tell the Grand Scholars, or their subordinates.
He would’ve been more comfortable with Issa and Trent, due to their previous work experiences. But the two of them had left Harkem on their pilgrimages years ago. Something that Ezekiel was thankful for. Apparently, both had since reached Tier three, and become official Scholars of their respective Cathedrals.
Apparently, Quentin was also out of the city, having survived up to this point. But he had been taken out of commission due to injuries. Soul strain, to the point of entering a coma, had meant that he was evacuated a while ago with most of the other citizens.
But he had been given honors and the promise of extensive care to help him recover meant that Ezekiel wasn’t too worried. He trusted the Church to take care of their own.
“So, anything else you want us to go over today? Or are we done, because I am not making another attempt right now. I need a bath and some rest. Given how greasy I feel at the moment.” Ezekiel raised an arm and gave himself a sniff. He hadn’t noticed it before, but he smelled like blood. It was not a pleasant scent, as many had pointed out to him.
“No. You can go. Come back tomorrow, however. We can’t get much more information at this point. But we might as well get you to the peak of Tier three. It’s not like Ichor is as expensive as Pure Mana Crystals, after all.” Harolt waved Ezekiel off. “It’s just a shame that Mages can’t reach Tier four without a sufficiently powerful Spirit. Then we might’ve been able to get you to Legendary before you set out.”
Ezekiel paused as he reached for the door. Backing away from it, he turned to address Harolt and Naeri, who were looking over some of the equipment, and ignoring him. An idea began forming in his head. Something he had forgotten about given all the excitement over the last few weeks.
“Are you sure you want to tell them? I’m fairly certain they should already know. Didn’t you give notes and theories to the Church already?” Shine was somewhat apprehensive about sharing the suggestions and theories they and Ezekiel had regarding reaching Tier four without a Spirit.
“I trusted this information to George, Fiana, Riley, Marc, and Cinder.” Ezekiel replied. “Sharing it with the Grand Scholars respect from my childhood, who risked a lot to help me, probably won’t hurt.”
Striding forward, Ezekiel approached Harolt and Naeri. The two turned to look at him with curiosity plastered on their faces. To the side, the other Scholars that were assisting also stole a look, but otherwise didn’t interfere.
“About Tier four... Can I talk to you two in private for a second? I think there’s some information I have that you two might be interested in. Information that I don’t think you could’ve gotten, given the condition of the Cathedral and the conflict you’ve been facing.” The Grand Scholars looked intrigued by Ezekiel’s words and took him to a side office before sealing it from outside observation.
Ezekiel didn’t end up leaving for several hours. As he dragged his feet on the ground, he could barely force himself to wonder what the consequences of his most recent action would be.
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Sitting atop one of the walls surrounding the Cathedral, Ezekiel couldn’t help but stare at the partially overcast sky. Before, the city was covered in much thicker clouds, to the point where it was reminiscent of the Desolate Lands. It was only the dim, yet constant, light during the day that kept it different. But even then, the days had been getting darker and darker as time went on.
Over the past three days, however, the skies had begun to clear. To the point where, even during a night like this, the stars could barely be seen through the haze in the sky. Given another week or so, and the artificial clouds that nearly blocked out the sun might fully fade away.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Ezekiel muttered aloud. “In just a couple more days, I’ll be heading out to the largest battle I’ll have ever taken part in. Yet I’m calmer now than I was when I first left Sanafalls.”
Back then, Ezekiel had been stressed, both because he’d been forced to sneak around to escape his friends and allies, and because he didn’t know if his family would even be alive by the time he got here. The events he had to go through to get past Tarquessa were also a stress inducing situation. But here he was, at his childhood home once again.
“I think it’s kind of nice. We’ve made some personal progress, and we’ve gotten stronger. So, it’s more likely that we’ll be able to survive.” Shine was quiet, but they did seem more upbeat about the situation than before. “It’s somewhat comforting to know that we won’t be the lowest Tier entering the battle.”
That had been something of a surprise for Ezekiel. Originally, he had thought that the lowest Tier being taken along would be Adepts. But after the final batch of reinforcements arrived, and had been properly organized, they realized that leaving only Tier three’s and higher wouldn’t be enough.
Several divisions of Tier twos, that had originally only been in the city for logistic and support purposes, were relegated to coming along to the Broodlord’s den. They wouldn’t be taking part directly, but instead were being equipped with artifacts that the Church was doing their best to put together in as short a time as they could.
“I honestly didn’t think I’d see siege weapons in this lifetime. But it seems like things just keep changing as time goes on.” Ezekiel recalled the awe he felt when he saw the dozen, or so, elemental cannons being rolled out.
Apparently, such weapons were not permitted to be used against other Human or Spirit factions. There were strict agreements that, only if the Cruor had managed to establish a solid territory in the currently controlled Human lands were they allowed to be used.
Of course, the sheer cost of such weapons made it infeasible for them to see regular use. The fact that they needed to be operated by a Legendary Mage to be useful, or a team of Ten Adepts of the same Element, also meant that they weren’t really practical beyond the most desperate situations.
The fact that only the Imperial capital originally had them was also a factor, since they were incredibly expensive. The few that the Cathedral was putting together were just add-ons to the ones that the Willowbrush army had brought with them. Even then, they were only possible due to the fact that an immense amount of supplies was being brought in.
“Meh. They’re just bigger crossbows. Any Legendary Mage could block at least one shot from them.” Shine tried not to sound impressed, but Ezekiel had felt the sheer wonder they had been feeling when they first saw the weapons.
“I’ll try to make a smaller version for you. That way you’ll be able to give it a shot.” Shine felt joy at Ezekiel’s words, before quickly smothering it with just a hint of embarrassment leaking out.
The pair stayed silent for a little while. Simply looking at the stars and enjoying the calm for the moment. This lull in battle was something they could greatly appreciate. There had always been a constant state of worry as the Guilds and Scholars feared that they would come under attack once again.
But it seemed like the Broodlord understood that any attacks on the city would result in a stalemate thanks to the reinforcements and Mythic Hunter that was defending them. They were much in the same boat, after all. The exalt knew that this attack on the Cruor was going to be difficult. Especially if more Spines had been formed.
Reclaiming the territory that the Empire had lost wasn’t going to be a simple task. Originally, the lack of Broodlord in any of the battles that Harkem was fighting meant that the Empire wasn’t too worried and would only fight back with the necessary amount of force to ensure that there wasn’t any unrest in the rest of the Empire. When Ezekiel had found out about the politics involved, he decided to wipe his hands clean of the situation, and simply focus on the here and now for fighting.
“Hey! Stop thinking about that stuff! We’re trying to relax, aren’t we?” Shine cut through Ezekiel’s feelings of frustration and anger at the nobility of the Empire like a knife through butter.
“Right. Thanks.” Ezekiel said as he let out a deep breath to relax. “Just a few more days...”
A comfortable silence enveloped both of them. The fears and worries that they still felt had abated somewhat. Replaced once more by the calm that they had enjoyed in the beginning.
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The rest of the week passed with a comfortable ease. Ezekiel managed to force himself to reach the Peak of Tier three via the experiments in the Cathedral. At the same time, he kept himself calm and centered, recovering his soul as he relaxed and spent time with his parents at every opportunity.
Shine had not managed to get past Step eight of Tier three. Their soul just wasn’t grown enough for it. But they had hopes that they would reach the appropriate level by the time they returned.
No thoughts of dying were found in either of their minds. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t be careful. Both were aware that they could die at any moment when the battle began. But they couldn’t let that stop them. Not when they were already at this point.
The fact that Naeri and Harolt had apparently made a bit of headway in their research regarding Legendary ascension also helped. If things went well, then it might be possible for Ezekiel to reach Tier four without Shine’s assistance.
For now, however, they were both silent as they gazed upon the figure of Exalt Harras as he addressed the army of Hunters and Scholars that were assembled in front of him.
He and his group stood off to the side. He wasn’t currently a part of any of the other conscripted unaffiliated Hunters. He had been put into a separate team that had been assembled by the Exalt personally. There were no familiar faces in this group, and it was relatively small. But from what Ezekiel could tell, it was composed of several stealth experts that would keep him safe for as long as possible.
“Everybody, I am not a man of grand and charismatic words.” Ezekiel focused as the Exalt spoke, his voice rolling over the crowd as he infused it with his mana. “Instead, all I will say is this. We are at the height of history, having returned to the age of despair, when the Cruor first conquered nearly half the inhabitable world.”
The people in the crowd shifted uncomfortably, unsure of where the Exalt was going with this.
“But there is a difference between then, and now. Then, we could not be certain of whether or not we would all be killed, and eventually consumed by those wretched Desolate creatures!” Exalt Harras’ voice took a fervent tone. “Now, we have long since proven that the Cruor can be pushed back! That the Broodlords can be killed! Yes, this will be a struggle, and yes, we all will be facing death! But there is hope! There is light that can be found within the darkness! The only choice to be made right now, is will you grab it!”
“YES, EXALT!!!” A cry rose up from the assembled Hunters. Somewhat invigorated by the Exalt’s speech.
Ezekiel couldn’t help but admire the Exalt. He didn’t think it was the best speech ever, but he certainly felt his heart pumping, and many of his worries settled into determination. As he looked around the crowd, he saw that many others looked much more serious as well.
“Now. Let us be off. We have a Hunt to partake in!” Exalt Harras declared before the assembled Hunters and Mages.
With that said, they all set forth towards the north, where the skies were dark, and the land was filled with monsters. Victory, or death, were the only results that they would have.