The skies and seas were calm during the days that Ezekiel and Riley spent on the water traveling. A stark contrast to the ever-present sense of doom and foreboding that had settled on the shoulders of the Mages and Hunters that were sailing the ship.
During this time, Ezekiel spent all of his time doing one of three things.
Meditating to ensure that his mana was fully under his control, and to clear up his emotional turmoil as best he could.
Stalking the deck or cabin of the ship. Not unlike a predator stalking prey that was just out of reach. A hungry and angry look in his eye.
Laying his head to rest on Riley’s lap. Her fingers ran through his hair as she did everything that she could to calm him down.
The last was the most effective, since it was proof that she was there with him. That he hadn’t lost everything just yet, and that there was hope that his family was still waiting for him. Even if they were hurt in the attack.
But regardless of his physical and emotional state, his mana was still heavy, and the pressure he was releasing was beginning to wear down on the minds and bodies of the sailors helping them. Even the Legendary Glacial Hunter who was acting as their captain was beginning to feel the strain.
“Is there nothing you can do about it?” Riley was currently holding Ezekiel’s head between her hands as he rested it on her lap. They were sitting together in the cabin at the lowest part of the ship. “There’s been no permanent damage just yet, but I’m fairly certain that some of them are almost ready to snap.”
Ezekiel was silent. His face set into a neutral expression. Those that didn’t know him might think he was fine. Just lost in thought, or unfocused, and ignoring the world around him.
If they had looked him in the eyes, however, then they would realize that their assumptions were wrong. The sheer gravity that weighed down on anyone who locked their gaze with his wasn’t real, but the illusion made by the mana churning within made it seem like there was no difference between real and unreal.
“I’ve been trying. But this isn’t just a matter of controlling or deadening my emotions with my mana.” Ezekiel breathed deep, letting out a sigh while he closed his eyes. “It seems that, now that my [Will] has strengthened so much compared to before, my emotions are more easily affecting my mana, rather than the other way around.”
He held up a hand, and a stream of Void mana flowed out of him. His firm hold on it prevented it from interacting with the elements around him. It remained as nothing more than a swirling white cloud of opalescent energy.
“...My mana used to escape my grasp if I did something like this. It would need to be docs into a spell in order to create the effect that I wanted. Yet, now, it appears as though I can totally control it, even when it’s outside my body.” He dropped his hand to the side, pulling the mana back into himself and clenching his fist before letting it relax.
“As it is, my passive sensing range covers well beyond the range of the ship. That range coincides with the range of my control of my mana. Growing and shrinking depending on my focus. I have already compressed it as best I can. In order to do any more than this, I would have to constantly cast my [Shroud] at every moment of every day. But I don’t think the crew will be comfortable with an irritable nascent Mythic hovering around their ship invisibly.”
Riley frowned at the thought. Ezekiel’s words were true. The Crew would likely freak out even more if they didn’t know where he was. Especially if they knew he was on the ship, potentially watching their every move.
“Perhaps you need to get away for a bit.” Riley placed a finger on his head, getting him to focus on her. “Go for a flight, or maybe let us tie a dinghy to the ship and tow you out of range. Either way, you need to go and vent. Holding back like this isn’t helping you, regardless of how great your control is. I mean, you snuck away and canceled a slew of contracts with the Church when you found out your family was in danger before. I can’t imagine how much worse it is for you now.”
He thought about it for a second. Weighing the options as he considered how best to proceed. Perhaps getting away from the ship would help him, and the crew, in equal amounts.
“You, leaving, would also let the crew relax. At least for a few hours. You know how helpful a break tends to be when you’re working hard or stressed.”
Riley’s words hammered in the final blow, and he nodded in agreement. Pulling himself up, Ezekiel started walking out the door, but not before turning and giving Riley a kiss and saying thanks.
“Let’s do it. We’re only a couple more days away, and the crew deserves a chance to relax. Like you said.”
Once the pair got upstairs, they immediately got to work gathering the rope needed to let Ezekiel drift behind the ship. Something that confused most of the crew, but as Ezekiel got further away, and his range no longer covered them, they all felt a weight lift from their shoulders.
Sighing in relief, the crew went back to their tasks, this time they practically had a skip in their steps, as they felt lighter than they had in days.
For the more experienced Adept Hunters and Mages, they kept their gazes on Ezekiel, making sure he didn’t drift away as he laid down in the dinghy. The captain left them to it, just happy that they no longer suffered from the effects of Ezekiel’s mood.
Even in the distance, beyond his suppressed mana sensing, Ezekiel could see the looks of awe and wonder on the Adepts’ faces. Which, given that he was the closest thing to a Mythic they had likely encountered in their lives, was something he took pride in.
But for now, away from the others, he allowed himself to drift. Shine beside him, giving him comfort as Riley remained on the ship for now.
“Just a couple more days...”
The sky and sea stayed calm for the rest of the journey.
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Standing on the prow of the ship, Ezekiel looked up at the storm that was gathering overhead. They were only a half a day out from Sanafalls, according to the absolutely tiny island that acted as a waypoint that they had temporarily stopped at, when a storm began to brew on the horizon. One that the captain was concerned would force them to divert their course for another day.
“We go forward!” Ezekiel called out as he focused his mana around the ship. Creating a domain that was totally under his control. “Riley, I need some assistance from you.”
Silently stalking up to his side, Riley readied her Flames, fully trusting Ezekiel’s commands.
“I’ll need you to provide thrust to get us high enough, as well as to make us move forward.” Ezekiel held his hands to the side. “Can you, do it?”
Riley thought for a second. It took her a moment to figure out what his plan was, but her eyes widened in shock when she did.
“Are you sure you can hold it for long enough?” While she trusted him with her life, this was still a massive risk. At least for the others on the ship.
“Yes. I’m sure. But only if you can provide the propulsion needed to move us.” Ezekiel held his haze on Riley. This would take both of them to properly work.
Steeling her nerves, Riley nodded, and donned her Spirit armor before flying off the ship to get to work. A moment later, Ezekiel also donned his Spirit armor.
‘Are you sure that you’ve got this?’ Shine asked with a hint of anticipation in their tone, ‘Your mind hasn’t been the clearest for the past few days.’
Ezekiel flexed his arms, sensing that Riley was in position. ‘Are you saying that you don’t think we can do this?’
‘Just don’t rely on me too much while we’re up there. This is your plan, after all.’ They tried to play off their mix of wariness and excitement as nothing important.
Slowly raising his hands upward, Ezekiel just smirked at his Spirit’s child-like glee as the ship began to rise into the air. The gravity nullified due to the use of his [Gravity Shift] spell.
‘We’ll need to focus on deepening our [Understanding] behind this spell. Ever since we gained the ability to fly, it’s mostly been ignored.’ Ezekiel mused, and Shine agreed, as Riley began pushing the ship higher and higher into the sky.
It only took a few minutes before they reached a height that was well above the gathering storm clouds. The Legendary Flame Hunter then maneuvered to the back of the ship and began pushing forward as Ezekiel focused on leveling the ship out.
The crew quickly furled the sails to lessen the drag, and the ship soon began moving faster than it had on water. With their speed increased, and the storm now no longer an issue, the captain estimated that their arrival would be a little bit earlier than expected. Likely before nightfall. Hopefully, not long after the storm passed, or they passed the storm.
“Well, shall we give Sanafalls an interesting show?” Ezekiel smiled as he imagined the looks on the faces of the citizens in Sanafalls when he and the crew arrived on a flying ship.
Hopefully it would provide a good distraction. If not, then at least he finally had something to focus on for the next couple of hours, instead of brooding and getting lost in his thoughts and worries.
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By the time they passed over the storm clouds that had blocked their route by sea, they were only a few more minutes out from Sanafalls. Riley had worked herself to the bone, pushing the ship to reach as fast a speed as it could without breaking down.
Both she and Ezekiel were dead tired by the time the island was in sight, but since they were so close anyway, Ezekiel decided to just push as far as he could and get there as soon as possible. Even as Riley has come back onto the ship. She plopped herself down on the deck behind Ezekiel and watched as he had them drift toward the port.
“Now you’re just showing off.” Riley chuckled as she leaned against the mast behind her.
Ezekiel ignored her humor and focused on gently settling them down into the water once more. Preferably without causing a massive splash that rocked the other boats in an inconvenient manner. Of course, given their means of arrival, it was impossible for them to not be met early by Scholars and Hunters flying out from the island.
“Halt! Identify yourselves and the origins of this vessel, or you will be shot down!” By the uniform he was wearing, it was one of the Grand Scholars that was stationed at the port that spoke. Several Hunters flew behind him. Three Legendaries, and a handful of Adepts with avian Spirits.
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Ezekiel idly noticed that it was Leonard, the Tempest Grand Scholar who had first tested his prototype Com-Slates all those years ago. He was fully equipped with several dozen Artifacts that Ezekiel could tell were more than capable of decimating the ship before it touched the water.
‘Wow... the old man’s got more spine in him than I thought...’
Ezekiel nodded in silence at Shine’s words. They had only ever seen Leonard as a strict and disinterested Grand Scholar who only cared about his own projects. But it was apparent that he was more than willing to step in and fight if the situation called for it.
Fortunately, the captain had traveled to Sanafalls in the past, and had the proper documents to settle the still wary denizens of Sanafalls.
“Ezekiel?” Leonard turned to look at him as he continued to lower the ship and was now just a few meters above the water. “... You’ve grown, young man. It is good to see you. Many of us had feared that you were lost to the world. Though, we did get word a few weeks ago regarding your survival.”
The man’s tone was quiet, and his eyes were focused on Ezekiel’s movements as he lowered his arms in conjunction with the ship. It was like he was trying to make a judgment with very little information. Ezekiel figured it was because of what had happened, and he wasn’t sure if Ezekiel was aware just yet.
“Hmm.” Ezekiel was still too focused to speak, and Leonard dropped the subject.
“Captain! You and your crew are welcome at pier forty-seven. Head there once your ship is in the water again, and the proper documentation will be waiting for you.” Turning away, Leonard noticed Riley, who was still sprawled out on the deck. Celia nestled in her lap but was watching the group from the island with a narrow gaze.
“Are you... Riley?” He received a nod from the woman in question. “Then please, when you land, head to the Cathedral with Ezekiel as soon as you can.”
The ship lurched as Ezekiel panicked for a moment, but he got hold of it before it could completely drop. Though it did surprise and throw several Adepts off their feet.
Leonard looked like he wanted to say more but thought better of it.
“I’ll see you both soon. Scarlet and Linette will be waiting for you with answers.”
With that said, the Grand Scholar flew off. The others swiftly followed behind him.
No one commented as the descent speed of the ship increased.
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Ezekiel felt like the time it took to set down the boat was the longest handful of minutes he had ever spent focusing on a single spell. Even his hours hidden beneath a [Shroud] back when he was just an Adept didn’t feel as long.
The moment the ship was in the water, and the captain and crew got ready to take it into the port and pier, he took to the sky, Riley right behind him, as he flew at his top speed to the Cathedral at the far end of the city. A look of strain and worry covered her face as she moved to catch up, but she was just too slow. Even with her propulsion spells making her move faster.
The air shook, and the crack of displaced atmosphere as he broke the sound barrier made the people nearby flinch, but he didn’t allow it to deter him.
His speed was so great that he nearly slammed into the defensive formations that surrounded the Cathedral. It was only Shine’s warning that prevented this from happening.
Instead, he simply cracked the ground as he hastily landed in front of the gates.
‘You need to calm down! Leonard wouldn’t have simply left us at port if your mom and sisters were dead!’ Shine tried their best to keep Ezekiel from simply charging forward. But his mind was in turmoil from Leonard’s previous words. The calm that he had barely achieved over the past few days had disappeared. Instead, there was a stone-cold determination that pushed him forward, even as he lost himself in his anxiety.
“Ezekiel!”
He stopped, as a quartet of voices called out at once as he stomped through the gates to the inner section of the Cathedral’s grounds.
Shine and Riley were recognizable to him, he had spoken with them constantly for months now. But it was the other two, one older, and nearly unfamiliar, and the other younger, and almost panicked, that grabbed his attention.
Off to the side, covered in dirt, grass, sweat, and a little bit of blood, was Wendy, who was carrying Kare in her arms as she slowly approached Ezekiel.
Standing a bit further back was Scarlet, who looked at him warily, as he was a dangerous beast about to lash out at anything that got near him.
“Big bro... you’re scaring me...”
Ezekiel nearly collapsed as his sister’s voice cracked, and he realized that the pressure that he had let up on during the past couple days had come back in force. His mind in turmoil as he dropped his spell and no longer had anything to focus on besides getting to the Cathedral.
He tried to take a step forward, but Shine had different ideas.
A sudden force slammed into the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground, as the Void Spirit forcibly cut their Spirit armor form from existence. Materializing as only their bladed form and flying into Ezekiel’s legs flat side first. ‘You need to calm down!’
The surprise attack, mixed with the yelling in his head and the shock of seeing his sister somewhat alright was enough to snap him back to his senses. He immediately dropped the pressure he’d let loose, and everyone within the Cathedral took a deep breath as they could now breath without a weight pressing down on them.
Looking up from the ground, Ezekiel realized that he was crying, and he reached out to his sister as she ran toward him. No longer prevented from approaching by the mana pressure he was releasing.
“I’m so sorry.” He grabbed her tightly and apologized, even as he tried to be careful of the tired Spirit being held between them. “I should’ve stayed here.”
Wendy shook her head. “No. If you had stayed here, then they would’ve fought harder, or done more to hurt the people that live here.”
Ezekiel hated that she was right, and ignored the head nodding that Scarlet was doing in front of him. “But maybe I could’ve helped fight them off. Who was it that even attacked? All I know was that the Cathedral was damaged, and that you, Ellen, and mom, were targets.”
Looking around, Ezekiel noticed that several people in the area made themselves scarce, and even Scarlet looked away without answering.
“Where are mom and Ellen?” He decided to focus on the more important question. “Wendy... What happened?”
Ezekiel held her out to look her in the eyes. Wendy swallowed nervously before answering.
“It was the Kindled family... They gathered up the majority of their Legendaries and attacked. They got Ellen, and they poisoned mom with something new. Something we haven’t figured out a cure for yet.” Tears were trailing down Wendy’s face now. “She got hurt saving me...”
Ezekiel nearly let out his mana once again, but a firm mental push held him back.
“Dad was there too...”
It was as if his stomach dropped to the bottom of the sea as an icy chill filled Ezekiel. It ran up and down his spine as he stared at her incredulously.
“What?”
Wendy looked down. “I didn’t believe it either. I saw him and ran to him for help when he seemed like he was here for us. But he tried to kill me, and mom took the hit instead.”
A thousand thoughts filled Ezekiel's mind. There was no way his father would’ve done such a thing. Warren loved his mother and children too much to even consider such a thing.
But as he considered just who the Kindled family had sided with, he realized that it was much more believable than he had initially thought.
After all, it was already proven that they could perform brainwashing on other people. It was just hard to believe that Ezekiel’s father would’ve succumbed to such a thing.
“... That damned Cult!” The rage in his voice made his sister flinch in shock as she reared back in shock and looked at him in confusion. “You probably weren’t made aware of this, but the Cult of Light has methods that can be used for brainwashing. Given that they’ve allied with the Kindled family, I wouldn’t be surprised if their methods were shared. There’s no way that dad would’ve done anything to harm you, or mom, otherwise.”
“... Then that means...” Wendy looked sick to her stomach, and Ezekiel realized that she had probably been harboring a hatred for their father for what he had done.
“Wendy, look at me!” He refused to let her feel as he had, not while he was there. “We’re going to save them. Ellen and dad. Both of them, and the Kindled family will pay for what they’ve done.”
Wendy stayed silent, but she nodded as Kare nipped at her tattered shirt to try and comfort her.
Their reunion hadn’t gone well so far. Things were much worse than Ezekiel had expected. But at least now, he knew that his family was still alive. So long as that was the case, he could take some time figuring out what he needed to do next.
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While the first thing he wanted to do was plan how he was going to take revenge on the Kindled clan, and get his sister and father back into safety, Ezekiel knew that he had a different priority that he needed to focus on.
“Hey, mom, it’s good to see you again...” Ezekiel was quiet as he stood over his mother’s deteriorating body.
The Life and Glacial healing Magic that had been used on her had kept her condition stable. But only so much so that she didn’t take any startling dives in regard to her health. Due to the Radiant poison that couldn’t be removed from her body, her flesh and soul were still slowly being eaten away.
“There’s been nothing you could do regarding the poison?” Ezekiel didn’t take his eyes off his mother, who was currently surrounded by several medical arrays that were keeping her together.
“Unfortunately, not.” Scarlet was the only other person in the room right now. “Though, we did manage to isolate and remove some of it, when it was still fresh. It’s being studied by our best, but nothing has been found so far.”
Riley had gone to catch up with Wendy, who wasn’t allowed to be in here anymore due to the strain it put on her mental state. Given the emotional turmoil she had gone through after meeting Ezekiel, it was deemed that she needed to do something, anything, that would keep her distracted while Ezekiel got to work.
“Hmm...” Ezekiel extended his senses outward, careful not to put any pressure on his mother. “This feels... familiar...”
Scarlett looked surprised. There were no records of this kind of poison anywhere in the world. Not outside the deepest depths of the Kindled family’s archives. At least, this was what was assumed by most, and what they had told Ezekiel earlier.
“Yeah... but I don’t know how that could be possible.” What Ezekiel was feeling as he gently probed the essence of the poison running through his mother’s veins was something that, in his experience, shouldn’t exist. “After all, Radiant magic is supposed to burn Ichor away. Not be fused together with it.”
“What!” Though it was quiet, the Grand Scholar still couldn’t prevent herself from gasping in shock. “That’s not possible! Mana and Ichor are not compatible in that manner. Ichor eats away and consumes mana, while the elements, when directed by a Mage or Spirit’s [Willpower], can be used to wash or burn Ichor away.”
“Usually that would be the case. But, after reaching my current level, I’ve come to realize a few things about Ichor and Mana.” Ezekiel thought back to all the times he had nullified Ichor to absorb it as mana. “The two are far more closely tied together than you would expect. But you are right about [Willpower] being a contributing factor.”
Holding out his hand, Ezekiel covered his mother’s body with a hazy forcefield.
“What are you going to do?” While they hadn’t seen each other in years, Scarlet knew that Ezekiel wasn’t known for his healing abilities. “Did you discover a medical ability tied to the Void?”
“Not exactly. You should get the healers ready to work. Once I neutralize the poison, they’ll be needed to make sure she can finally start healing correctly.” Focusing his [Will] on removing all harmful elements from his mother’s body and soul, he channeled his [Nothingness] and [Empowerment].
One to destroy the Radiant poison, and the other to keep her soul and body strong enough to survive the process.
By this point, Scarlet had already sent notice to get their best healers, who were on standby outside, to get ready.
“If this works, we’ll need you to help with the others. This poison is worst on Obscure users, both Mages and Spirits. But it still has a bad effect on other elements.”
“No worries. I’ll do everything I can to help.” Ezekiel closed his eyes to center himself, and to prepare for what was about to come. “I’m sorry, mom, but please bear with it.”
A moment later, as Ezekiel channeled his mana through his mother’s flesh and soul, the room was filled with ear wrenching screams.
Scarlet flinched back, as did the healers that were just coming into the room. Shadows writhed against the walls, lashing out at anything and everything that crossed their path. The healers were forced to retreat, and only Scarlet and Ezekiel remained.
The Grand Scholar was forced to put up a barrier of water in between herself and most of the room to keep safe. While Ezekiel just stood there, trusting Shine to protect him.
All the while, he was covered in minor cuts as some of the shadows got through. Tears streamed down his face, but his expression was set in stone, his eyes focused on something only he could see.
“So, that’s what you are...” His voice was barely perceptible, but was still heard by the others, who were curious as to what he had discovered.
‘Keep steady! We’re almost done here.’ Shine pulled Ezekiel’s mind back to the task at hand.
It was only a few more seconds later that Evelyn fell back to her bed, her body weak from the thrashing she had done as Ezekiel purged her system.
“Healers! What are you waiting for!?”
The assembled Life and Glacial mages streamed into the room. They rushed past Scarlet, who was staring on in shock. She wasn’t a trained healer, but she was still aware of most of the processes involved. So, she knew just how amazing Ezekiel’s feat had been.
But her awe turned to concern when he turned around, and his face was covered in blood. His orifices had begun bleeding toward the last moments of his act.
“When she’s stable, have someone take a look at me too, will you?” Ezekiel slowly walked out of the room, exhaustion filled his body as he put a hand on Scarlet’s shoulder, right before he nearly collapsed.
“Ezekiel!”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just more strained than I expected to be.” Ezekiel waved off Scarlet’s concern, even as Shine yelled at him in the back of his mind. “Now that I know what to expect, I won’t be in such terrible shape when I fix the others.”
Still worried, the Grand Scholar helped Ezekiel to another room with a cot where he could lie down. Helping him into the small bed, she asked what had happened.
“I encountered a force that I wasn’t expecting. That’s all.”
Scarlet tried to get more information from him, but he remained silent on the matter. He knew that he couldn’t talk about what he had witnessed. Not without there being horrible repercussions for the world. Especially considering what his only point of reference for comparison was.
After all, the [Will] within that Radiant poison was only the tiniest bit weaker than the [Will] within the Ancient Void’s memory tablets.
So, how could he explain that he had fought off the [Will] of one of the Ancients?
Or that said Ancient will was almost indistinguishable from the Ichor of the Broods.