It was a scene of devastation that Harras and his followers arrived at. Though it had been reported to them earlier, it was still a sight to see. Almost nothing when compared to the destruction that was done by Harras and the Broodlord, but still impressive.

“Direct us to the last place you saw the Void Mage.” Hearing Harras’ order, the Tempest Hunter brought them along to the pool of Ichor that she had scouted out earlier.

“It’s here, Exalt, but I don’t see why we need to be here. My Spirit hasn’t seen anything out of the ordinary since the Void Mage was thrown into the pool.” The Tempest hunter didn’t understand why they needed to look for Ezekiel. As far as she was concerned, he was already dead. If not a total monster by now. “If he isn’t a mutant by now, then he’s surely dead. Isn’t he?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out. You two, go over there. Make a hole in the ground. One that’s big enough to drain this one.” Harras directed two Legendary Hunters, both Cavern elements, to the side.

Currently, there wasn’t much that he was capable of doing on his own at the moment. He was covered in bandages. His Spirit armor had long since dispelled, and his Spirit was lying next to him on a cushion. All while he was seated on a reclining chair that was being carried by several of his household’s Hunters. Leaning over his were two Life Mages that were doing their best to keep him together and help him regain as much of his health as possible. For a man that was near death not long ago, he was remarkably healthy now that his battle had ended.

Harolt and Naeri were silent as they stood alongside the handful of Scholars that were bound by contracts. At the moment, they were fully aware of the fact that Ezekiel could’ve survived. But they could sense something was wrong as they were called forth. The Exalt had only said that they were to aid in Ezekiel’s retrieval, but no mention had been made of the tests they had conducted.

Needless to say, they were wondering why the Exalt hadn’t simply been forthright with them regarding his intentions. It was as if he wasn’t aware that Ezekiel could absorb Ichor.

Of course, had they been made aware of what Adrian and Harras had done to their memories, then their confusion would’ve been cleared up right away. As it was, Adrian had simply requested they keep certain secrets to themselves. Without alerting anyone else as he did.

“I am aware of your concerns in this instance. But we need to at least attempt to retrieve the body of the one who saved us.” Harras ignored the strange looks that he was getting from the Scholars. “The fact that he isn’t a rampaging monster right now, means that the ability of a Void Mage to fend off the effects of Ichor when their Chakra is open is stronger than expected. For all we know, he’s hiding down there, waiting for a sign that the Cruor are gone.”

By this point the Cavern Mages had carved out an appropriately sized hole. Signaling for the Cavern Hunters to proceed, the smaller pool was opened up to the much larger, and deeper, hole in the ground. The Ichor swiftly drained, and the Mages all stepped back to avoid being splashed.

It only took a couple minutes for the Ichor to fully drain, and when it did, the sight at the bottom nearly caused a couple of the Mages to puke.

At the center of the now drained pool, Ezekiel’s body was covered in the slick, oily, Ichor that previously filled the pool. But that wasn’t the sickening part. It was the fact that his body was convulsing, and his limbs and bones were snapping as they were broken, only to be healed an instant later. Not once did he heal in the wrong manner, however, as his body seemed to warp back and forth from being in the right and wrong positions.

“Wash him off! Get him up here now!” Exalt Harras voice snapped them all out of their dazed confusion. Though she was tired and drained, Naeri was the first to summon water with her mana. She essentially flooded the Ichor pool with water, washing away all the previous remnants of the Ichor that remained. Feeling the drain on her mana, she knew that she couldn’t keep this up for long.

Suddenly, a pillar of stone rose from the ground, lifting Ezekiel into the air. This helped, as she and the other Glacial Mages could focus on using their water to clean him off more easily. As the Ichor was washed off of him, Ezekiel still continued to convulse. But it was worse than that, as they could all see that his body had seemed to have lost all its color. Except for the red and black veins that stood out on his pale skin.

“His sword...” Harolt muttered as he looked around the empty pool. “We need to get his sword!”

As the rest of the group moved Ezekiel’s body onto more solid land, they were careful not to directly touch him. The Cavern Mages shifted the stone on the ground to make manacles to prevent him from moving. While the Life Mages did the same with vines and roots. It helped, but not a lot.

“There! You! Come here. I need you to make a vine ang grab that sword!” Harolt pointed at the opalescent sword that was at the bottom of the pool. Just like Ezekiel, it too had black and red veins, more like cracks, running up and down its length.

The Life Mage Scholar looked concerned, but Naeri pushed her to go. As he went to fetch the sword with roots and vines grown from seeds kept in her sleeve, the other Hunters all looked confused.

“The Sword is his Spirit. Better they both fight this off together than leave each other to fend for themselves.” Harolt explained as he gestured for the Life Mage to move the sword over Ezekiel.

“Are you certain this will help him?” Harras was somewhat doubtful that Shine could help at this point. Ezekiel was basically dead; he just hadn’t stopped moving yet. Though the fact that he hadn’t mutated meant that things were not the worst-case scenario just yet.

Harolt ultimately didn’t reply, instead, he just nodded his head to the Life Mage, who placed the sword vertically on Ezekiel’s chest.

The effects were immediate. He stopped convulsing the moment the sword was laid on top of him. But what happened next shocked them all.

With a feat of strength that none of them were expecting, Ezekiel ripped his arms free from where they had been restrained. Grasping Shine by the blade, Ezekiel began to bleed. Sickly Ichor drained from his hands and down from his body in rivers. It was as if his body was doing all it could to purge the Ichor from his system.

“Let him bleed!” Naeri called out as one of the healers moved to stop the bleeding. Turning her head, she addressed the Mages that weren’t any good at healing. “Bring me all of the blood replenishing potions we still have from the medical cart. All of you, use your mana to help direct his blood flow to expel the Ichor that’s inside him.”

“Naeri! What is happening?” Harras called out, nearly having let loose a bolt of Lightning at the sight if the Ichor spilling from Ezekiel’s hands.

“He’s fighting the Ichor off, but so long as it’s in his body the fight will go on for too long. This Ichor is much stronger than any that he’s come into contact with before. Likely from the Broodlord himself.” Naeri didn’t turn away as she spoke. Too focused on directing Ezekiel’s blood flow. “As it is, there’s a chance that he’ll survive.”

“How do you know if this will work?” Harras was beginning to have his own doubts at this point.

“I don’t. At this point, since he hasn’t mutated, either he dies from a lack of blood as the Ichor is purged from his body, or his blood turns red again. Which should mean that he’s out of danger. For the most part.” Naeri couldn’t help but mutter that last part under her breath.

The group fell silent as they all either watched, or worked, on Ezekiel. As the Ichor was purged from his bloodstream, potion after potion was poured down his throat. Soon, the Cavern Mages were called once again to use the last of their mana to create a raised table that would allow the Ichor to drain onto the ground.

Soon, a new pool of blood, far greater than what should’ve been able to fit inside a human body, had accumulated beneath the table. Yet it still didn’t stop. They were nearly out of potions now. Less than half were left. But Ezekiel just laid there. Fighting for his life in a world that none of them could see.

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Finding himself once more within the confines of his own soul, Ezekiel was fighting for his life in a far more harrowing battle than his previous experiences. Currently, beyond doing his best to simply not be consumed, he was unable to do much beyond expressing his ‘nothingness’ against the corruptive ooze that seeped through his entire body.

As he tried to fend off the tendrils and pustules of ooze, he found himself missing the standard figures of the Bone, Fang, and Winged Cruor that he had fought before. But most of all, he missed his Spirit, whose connection to him had been cut when he had let go of their hilt.

Usually, his connection to his Spirit wouldn’t be severed so easily, but clearly the Ichor in the pool was more unique than he had expected. From what he could tell, it was blocking off all forms of mana. Though the fact that he was already out of mana when he was dropped in the Ichor certainly didn’t help.

Ezekiel threw himself to the side as another tendril tried to pierce him through. But he found himself losing ground as he continued to run and dodge. The Ichor was spreading further and further into him. Growing stronger and stronger as time went on.

He knew that, so long as he remained in the pool, he had no chance against the constantly growing ooze. There was simply too much more of it, compared to himself, to properly face.

A sudden shudder ran through the world that Ezekiel was in. The ooze in front of him hadn’t spoken once, only letting out growls and shrieks of rage and anger. But this time, it seemed to let out a pained groan, and Ezekiel saw something that gave him hope.

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The ooze was beginning to shrink. It had stopped growing and was now being eaten away by Ezekiel’s will and ‘nothingness’.

But Ezekiel knew, while this was certainly helpful, if things went on as they were, he would still run out of steam well before the being he was fighting.

As he started fighting back, being careful not to be taken out in one blow, Ezekiel continued to think about how he could win. How he could turn this around.

He knew that it was possible to absorb Ichor, turning it back into mana for him to add to his reserves and use for himself. But that had only ever happened when he had already defeated the remnant of the Cruor that was within the Ichor.

He didn’t think that his soul would hold on for long enough to do that.

‘I wish you were here, Shine... Maybe we could’ve figured something out, together...’ Ezekiel’s stray thought nearly brought his fight to an end, as he was unprepared for the sudden jump in power that the ooze suddenly experienced. As if it had received an influx of power to bolster its attack.

He managed to dodge it, however, by giving up an arm that brought him immense pain as he lost it. Motes of light faded away from the severed limb, and Ezekiel felt himself growing weaker. But there was a calmness that seeped into him as well. A familiar feeling had returned to him, and he felt himself pushing harder than he ever had before.

Charging through the ooze that was in front of him, he allowed himself to be wrapped up for just a moment as his hand reached into the amorphous mass. Grabbing onto a small but welcome hand, Ezekiel allowed his mind to burst with the last little bit of strength he had.

His ‘Nothingness’ spread out, far stronger than before, even though it left him nearly motionless with exhaustion. But he had done what he had set out to do. He had freed Shine from the grasp of the Cruor.

The little Spirit, dazed from the sudden shift, saw Ezekiel weakly floating in front of it. They immediately connected their soul to his, and fled before the Ichor could get to them again.

In that moment, Shine cursed their weakness, and wished that they were just a little bit stronger. An idle thought crossed their mind in that instant. A risky plan far greater than anything Ezekiel had put them through came to them. One that they could only pray to the Ancients wouldn’t kill them.

Behind them, Shine could hear the ooze shaped Cruor screaming in a cacophony of rage filled madness. But given that Ezekiel was barely holding on at the moment, Shine decided to take a risk that Ezekiel hadn’t been willing to.

“I’m sorry. But I don’t know what else to do.” They said with regret. Ezekiel did not reply, but he understood what Shine was doing. Even if he knew that this would hurt, far more than what had happened before.

In that moment, Shine exited the primary mindscape of Ezekiel soul, and entered into his Spirit Pathways, which had already begun to experience the corruptive effects of the Ichor. As the ooze followed after them, a searing pain spread through Ezekiel’s body and soul.

“Just hold on, please hold on... I have an idea, but I don’t know if it will work...” Ezekiel couldn’t reply. He was too lost in the pain, fighting as hard as he could, just to hold his soul together. But the cracks that were spreading through the Spirit Pathways the three beings traveled through showed that he wouldn’t last for long.

All the while, Shine continued forward. Searching for the only thing he could think of that would give them an even miniscule chance of surviving.

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Back in the physical world, Ezekiel’s body had been surrounded by several walls of stone, and a makeshift medical room was erected to keep him safe while he was being worked on. Given the state of several of the other Hunters, additional rooms were set up as well. Harras was actually sitting in one of them as he was treated by his followers.

However, regarding Ezekiel’s state, Naeri was, surprisingly, not the first to notice when his condition shifted.

“His soul is breaking down!” It was one of the Adept Life Mages that realized what was happening.

Given that she was fairly low in power when it came to her status as an Adept, she had been regulated mostly to observation of the non-essential aspects of Ezekiel’s soul. The parts that could be damaged and not result in immediate death.

All the same, Naeri’s face went from determined and focused, to looking even more grim.

“Focus your efforts on maintaining his physical condition. Stop all efforts to purge the Ichor from his system. We’re nearly out of potions anyways.” The Healers all looked shocked at her orders.

Off to the side, in a connected room, Harras also looked shocked to hear what she said.

“The Ichor has gotten into his Spirit Pathways. Purging his body won’t be enough. At this point, all we can do is ensure that his body doesn’t break down. For the Life and Death Mages who specialize in spiritual wounds, you need to do your best to hold his pathways together.” Naeri continued to direct her assistants. “Set up a multilayered weave, with at least three layers between yourselves and the area of the Spirit Pathways you are working on. Do not let the Ichor in his soul touch your own. The moment even a single layer of your weave is affected, recall your mana and wait for it to dissipate before you attempt to continue your efforts.”

Several of the Scholars and hunters helping Ezekiel’s condition looked grim, and more than a few looked reluctant to continue working on Ezekiel. Given the increased risk to themselves, this was somewhat understandable.

If the Ichor had infected his soul to the point that it was spreading through his Spirit Pathways, that meant that the corruption was more than capable of infecting them through their own souls.

“If you are unwilling to help, then get out of my medical room.” Several Healers immediately left, not bothering to look back. These were the ones who were reluctant to spend time on what they had considered to be a useless endeavor. Naeri and Harolt made a note of who they were for later.

Only one or two more left after that, but these ones had legitimate excuses. Mainly the fact that they were too low on mana to meet the minimum requirements to create a multilayered weave. The regretful looks they gave Ezekiel as they left put them in Naeri and Harolt’s good graces.

“Exalt Harras!” Harolt called through the open makeshift doorway. “I’m sorry, but I think that we will need some privacy to continue the treatment. He’s not going anywhere, obviously, so you can check on our efforts later.”

Harras didn’t seem like he agreed with the Grand Scholar’s assessment, but a hand from Adrian held him back. Unlike Harras, Adrian had realized that everyone that was left in the room was a Scholar. He had also seen how Harolt had assessed them all before speaking up.

“I believe that the Grand Scholar has his reasons for doing this. For now, I think it best we let him proceed.” Harras was confused by his old friend’s words, but seemed to understand what he was implying.

“Very well. Keep me posted regarding our hero’s condition.” Harolt nodded in thanks before shifting the makeshift door closed. He then took several artifacts out of his Void Pouch, placing them around the room, and sealing it off from outside observers.

“Alright, they can’t hear us now. So, does anyone want to tell me what’s happening for real?” Harolt was calm, but there was an undercurrent of threat in his voice. “I don’t know why the Exalt is acting like he’s unaware of our previous experiments, but I think we can speak of it properly now.”

“Everything I said was true. I just didn’t say what I think Ezekiel is doing to overcome this.” Naeri continued to work on Ezekiel’s body as she spoke. “As you know, Ezekiel could only absorb the mana rich Ichor in our experiments after he defeated the remnant of the Cruor, or rather the Broods, that existed within it. However, given the difference in the strength of this Ichor, compared to the previous specimens, I don’t think that option is available to us.”

Each of the Scholars still present looked to Naeri in confusion and concern. If it was impossible for Ezekiel to fight off the remnant, then what was the point in their efforts.

“As such, I believe that Ezekiel, or Shine, or both, are going to make use of the Ichor in a more direct manner.” Harolt looked worried when Naeri mentioned using the Ichor.

“How so?” Naeri was silent for a moment. “Naeri, how do you think he’s going to use it?”

“... Ezekiel is at the peak of Tier three. At this point, the Ichor keeps his consciousness, and Shine’s, internalized, allowing them to continue to delve into Ezekiel’s Spirit Pathways for as long as he wants. As such, all he needs is a sufficient power source, to open his fourth Chakra.” For the first time since she started working on Ezekiel, she looked up at her fellow Scholars. “Doing instantly regenerates any and all lost mana, bringing him from almost nothing, to the first Step of Tier four. That, I think, is what they’re trying to do. But it’s risky. As the Ichor travels through his Spirit Paths, it also destroys them. If he can’t find his fourth Chakra in time, he’ll die. Simple as that.”

Turning back to Ezekiel, her glowing blue hands restarted their work on keeping Ezekiel’s body together. Seeing their Grand Scholar returning to her work, the rest of the healers got back to work. A sense of worry and apprehension mixed with hope and curiosity filled them all.

Each and every one of them was a Scholar, after all. The sheer amount of information and discoveries they were making, as well as the number of theories that would be proven or disproven if Ezekiel’s mad plan worked, would open up countless possibilities for each and every one of them.

But only if Ezekiel survived.

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All around them Ezekiel and Shine witness cracks form and be filled with a reddish black oily substance. The space that represented Ezekiel’s Spirit Paths, the countless channels through which Ezekiel’s mana would flow when enacting his spells, continued to break down.

By this point, neither of the two had any idea of just how long they had been fleeing and searching. Ezekiel had managed to get somewhat of a second wind. But Shine also had limits. Their only advantage was the fact that it was apparently harder for the Ichor to seep into a non-living entity.

Hence why Shine’s soul had been consumed and covered, rather than chipped away and eaten in truth. Since there was no body for the Ichor to effect, it was forced to slowly seep into Shine’s soul. Something that would take much longer due to the lack of Spirit Paths that Humans had.

If Shine had been a normal Spirit, then things would’ve been different. They would’ve simply dissipated as all of their mana was drained away. As it was, their experience within the strange ooze was merely the most painful experience of their life, rather than an immediate death sentence.

As it was, thanks to the fact that they were now more firmly entrenched in Ezekiel’s soul, the Void Spirit had gotten a chance to recover. But they were also running out of steam.

“How much longer can you last?” Ezekiel’s voice was weak, even though it was merely thoughts being projected to his Spirit.

“As long as I need to.” Shine was firm in their choice to stick with Ezekiel.

“Even if this works... There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to use magic again...” This was the main reason why Ezekiel hadn’t jumped onto this possible solution right away. But Shine cared more about keeping Ezekiel alive at this point.

“You don’t know that.” Shine was desperate to keep Ezekiel’s fading consciousness with them.

“If I can’t, I want you to find a new partner... I think the world needs you more than it needs me right now...” Shine couldn’t agree with that. They couldn’t even imagine having a bond with someone other than Ezekiel.

Suddenly, the two of them felt like they had fallen into the shadow of something massive. But there was no sense of dread or worry. Only a firm certainty of hope.

They had found Ezekiel’s fourth Chakra.

Behind them, the remnant Cruor howled in rage. It didn’t know what was happening, but it knew that Ezekiel and Shine no longer felt as scared as they had just moments ago.

“Move! Move now!” Ezekiel screamed as he and Shine charged forward. Just a little bit further.

A tendril shot forward, wrapping itself around Ezekiel’s leg. Just as he and Shine impacted on something solid. Followed by a crash as the Cruor slammed into them.

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Naeri and the other healers recoiled from Ezekiel in an instant. The Legendary Glacial Mage turned pale, but the others just looked confused. Like they couldn’t understand why they had retreated.

“Everybody out!” Naeri yelled a warning for them all, but it was too late.

Ezekiel’s eyes opened. A pure white light flooded the room. Steam burst out from his body as his veins were flooded with white light. The presence of a Legendary Mage filled the room, nearly bringing the Adept Scholars to their knees.

A loud ‘crack’ nearly deafened the occupants. All of them were thrown against the walls. Then darkness, and silence, was all that remained in the room.