The group of Kindled family members and Hounds stalked through the maze of light with little regard for caution and alertness. Howlend had explained that there was little to no need since it had been made clear that the only threats to their lives had already left. Something, or someone, had called them away, so there was no reason to worry.
Especially since they now had a bargaining chip that would allow them free reign in any negotiations with the Cult and the Empire.
“We need to slow down,” Meli said as they rounded another corner. Currently, while many of them were Radiant Mages or Hunters, there were a few auxiliary Hounds and family members that didn’t have the Radiant element. These Kindled members were lagging behind.
“If they cannot keep up then leave them. They will be fine once the maze comes down. So, it doesn’t really matter in the long run.” Howlend had no sympathy for those not of the Radiant element. Moreso since they were the only ones having problems, and therefore proved his opinion of Radiant users being the only Mages of worth in the world. “Our destination is only a few more minutes away anyway. So, they have more than enough time to catch up.”
Unseen to those not of the Radiant element, the golden lines that marked the outlines and formation enchantments on the maze were far more visible to those with the correct element. This allowed Howlend and Meli to easily navigate the maze, along with their Radiant family members.
Howlend more than the others, since this maze was semi-based off the formation enchantments in the elder’s meeting hall. A place that he was far more familiar with than anyone else in this group besides the elders who had thrown their lot in with him.
“You still haven’t explained where it is that we’re going to. I had assumed that we were going to find an exit, but since I doubt that that will be possible until the Ancestor or Void user are dead, we must be headed to one of those areas.” Meli’s concerns were valid, and many of the rushing Mages around her looked at Howlend with expectant gazes. “Have you somehow managed to track down the Void user?”
The unspoken message that Howlend and the rest of their group would be unable to kill the Kindled Ancestor made the fallen patriarch of the Kindled family grit his teeth, but he bit out a reply.
“In essence. That is, indeed, where we’re going. The Ancestor has made an even worse deal than I did, after all.” Howlend continued to paint the Kindled Ancestor in a bad light. It was a poor attempt to boost himself up in the eyes of his followers, but there were a few who brightened up at his words. “As it is, he will be too protected by the Cult for us to take him on by ourselves, and the Void Herald might have tricks that would make fighting him difficult. From what we’ve learned, he is very good at running away.”
“... Void Herald?” Meli sounded confused as she spoke. Several other Mages shared a look, silently asking if anyone else had heard Howlend speak like this before.
“... It’s just a name for this one’s brother.” Howlend pointed a thumb at Ellen, who was being carried on the back of his Radiant Wolf Spirit. “Given that there are now far more Void users than there used to be, it would be best to give him a name that keeps him apart from the riffraff. As much as it grates on me to do so. You cannot say it isn’t accurate.”
A few of the Kindled Mages and Hounds nodded along, but Meli looked concerned. Her gaze lingered on Howlend’s face. Specifically, his eyes, which were a darker hue than she knew most Radiant Mages had when they used their magic.
Howlend was also sweating, but not in excretion. It was as if he was sick, with a pallor complexion and heavy breathing being the most prominent signs. He had brushed it off when asked before, but his symptoms were growing worse the more they moved.
“Perhaps you could use a break yourself. You look like you’re about to pass out.” Meli’s words caused the group to slow down. “Did you get hit by anything before you managed to meet up with us? I know you brushed it off before, but I think whatever is happening to you is just getting worse.”
“I’m fine. We just need to get out of here, and I’ll be right as rain once I get a damned drink.” Howlend brushed off Meli’s concerns, and a Life Mage stepped forward.
“Lord Patriarch,” she said with a somewhat quivering voice, “perhaps me and the other healers could at least take a look at you? Just to make sure you’re fine.”
“I said I’m fine!” Howlend yelled and raised a hand to take a swing, but Meli pulled the girl back before Howlend’s strike could land. “... I’m fine... We’re too close to stop now. So, let’s keep moving. You can check me after we’re out of this damned maze!”
The group was silent as they began moving faster once more.
“... You still haven’t told us where we’re going.” Meli muttered after several seconds of silence.
Howlend smiled, and patted Ellen on the back, gesturing toward her as he spoke.
“Well, it’s quite simple, we’re going to get the strongest force in this maze and bring him to our side. That way, he’ll be forced to do exactly what we tell him to.” He put a hand under Ellen's chin and lifted her face, so she was looking at the rest with her dull, glazed over, eyes. “We have his soon to be Empress, with a special surprise I put on her when she first arrived. So, he’ll have to do whatever we want him to do, else he will be executed by the Empire for failing his mission, yet again.”
Howlend’s smile had far too many teeth as the grin threatened to split his face. The manic look in his eye was enough for some of the Mages to look away in fear, while Meli and the elders frowned in worry. The plan wasn’t the best, but it was enough for now. Turning down the chance to utilize the power of a Mythic Hunter was a foolish choice, after all.
The thing that really concerned them was the colors of their apparent leader’s eyes. Which were getting darker and darker by the minutes.
It had gotten to the point that they were closer to a bright orange than a bright gold. With the shade still shifting closer and closer to red.
For those in the group that saw and knew what the possible reasons for this could be were, it did not spell good things for the future of their coup.
Yet nobody said anything. Their loyalties and contracts forced them to comply with the highest ranking elder of the Kindled family. One that had proven to have the best interests of the family at heart.
The fact that the Kindled family Ancestor had already killed several of his descendants had removed him from the chain of command. Now, even disgraced, Howlend held control. At least until he died. Regardless of the circumstances.
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Lightning flashed as six humanoid figures flashed around the enclosed space where Harras was fighting. The remains of the formation focal point were long since destroyed, and it appeared that the Exalt was evenly matched in his current combative circumstances.
“It seems that you were ordered to fight me above all else... Should you not be headed toward whatever it was that called you all away?” Harras’s question remained unanswered, but that was to be expected. It was well known that these pseudo-Mythic monsters were incapable of true speech.
They were also well known for being short-lived but had lasted for several hours at this point. During which the balance of the battle hadn’t shifted even slightly.
“I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but it seems like I will actually have to kill you myself,” Harras’ muttered as six cages formed out of the Lightning he was generating around him. “A shame. But I guess that the young man I had placed my hopes in fell short.”
The Cages flew off toward the [Blessed] abominations. A heavy pressure pushed down on them, and they immediately retreated. But no matter where they moved to, the cages simply followed them. Even around different corners and out of sight, only to fly back into the room as they moved to strike at Harras before they could get locked in.
Partially formed constructs of light were formed in an attempt by the pseudo-Mythics to deflect the cages that flew after them. But it didn’t matter, Harras’ domain had already taken form. Six small daggers had been thrown out when his opponents had attempted to flee.
“Close!” With that one command, the Artifacts he had thrown out lit up with a thunderous boom as a massive cage supported by six pillars of Lightning formed around not only his enemies, but also himself, to keep the monsters from getting too close.
“You’re trapped now. Such a shame. Perhaps, if we weren’t in such an enclosed space, you would’ve stood a greater chance.” Harras held his hands to the side, and slowly pulled them together.
The outer circle began to close in toward the inner one, with bolts of Lightning that flashed between the two. They struck the different creatures and slowly ripped them apart. But the hides of the Cult’s [Blessed] beasts were tougher in this maze than usual.
Fortunately, since their mobility was reduced, Harras was able to entrap them inside the cages he had sent out earlier. Now surrounded by nigh unbreakable cages of Lightning, the abominations could only howl in pain as they were slowly electrocuted to death. The energy in the plasma constantly burned and blasted their pseudo-flesh.
The assault grew stronger and stronger. It became more rapid as well, until the entire room was bathed in violet light from the constant stream of unending Lightning.
All the energy fed back into itself, becoming a self-sustaining spell that had little to no loss of mana. Something that Harras had been working on. A trick that he had developed after his fight with the Winged Broodlord. One that had allowed him to fight for several hours and not dip below two thirds of his mana. It was the sole thing that had kept him alive in this battle.
“It’s such a shame that I couldn’t have used this against Wolken. It would’ve been nice to truly see who the true Master Hunter of the Skies is.” Eventually, Harras’ barrage ended, and the blackened husks of his opponents fell to the ground, shattering into piles of charcoal dust the moment they did.
Throwing his hand out, the Lightning that still filled the air with static electricity condensed and was absorbed back into his body, filling him with a portion of the mana he had lost in that final attack.
He looked around for a moment, observing to see if anything else was coming his way. Seeing nothing but the light and golden lined walls, he nodded before a thin sphere of mana surrounded him.
It was a protective layer of electricity that would warn him when and where the walls were. This warning system would allow him to move at a more rapid pace without the risk of running into any walls. He tied the spell to his domain so that he could expand it, and it spread to cover the entirety of the area he was in, as well as several halls and corners that were out of his visual gaze.
The moment he did this, he stopped moving. Rather than head off into the direction he hoped that the Kindled Ancestor had gone off in, he moved to the center of the room-like area that he was in and waited. A few moments later, the sound of footsteps filled the air as a large group of people walked closer.
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“Shut up!” his voice bounced off the walls and made the group flinch at the volume. He held up a hand, and every figure in front of him was surrounded by Lightning.
Howlend, in particular, was surrounded by several bands of Lightning when Harras focused his gaze on the fallen patriarch. Meli and the others all looked to Howlend in concern. Obviously, this wasn’t going as their group had planned and expected it to go.
Except for one young woman on the back of a Radiant Wolf Spirit. “If you thought that you had the capability to threaten me into working for you, then you are truly foolish, as well as utterly ignorant of the true power of a Mythic Hunter.”
A rattling sound filled the area, and all the metal that the group was carrying began to shift as Harras used electro-magnetism to control it. The movements were slow and sluggish. It was a spell that used concepts that he hadn’t truly understood. It was only a book he’d gotten from the Church of Ten, written by Ezekiel, that had allowed him to grasp this subtle spell, even as weakly as he had.
But it was enough to remove the weapons and armor of all the Kindled family’s group.
At the same time, several sheathed weapons created a platform that floated Ellen over to Harras’ position. Where he gently checked her over while keeping focused on the other newcomers.
“Why shouldn’t I kill you right here and now for this betrayal?” Harras wasn’t stupid. Asking this question was the right thing to do in a situation like this, because it was impossible to know what the Kindled family had hidden up their sleeve.
“Simply put, we didn’t do anything regarding this situation.” Howlend waved at the walls of the maze around them. “In fact, we wish to help you in going after the key to destroying this maze. One of them, anyway. That, and I don’t think your Emperor will be pleased to know that you killed us. Not when that pretty little necklace on your young ward is set to go off if I die.”
Only Meli didn’t look surprised. Harras, however, looked scared. He immediately pulled open the collar of Ellen’s dress, and beneath it was a necklace with a large gemstone covered in Runes embedded into a band that wrapped around her neck.
The Runes on the crystal were common ones. Ones that anybody with the slightest knowledge of Enchanting would know were explosive in nature.
“Now, we can’t go after the Void Herald, since I can’t find him in the maze, for some reason. But I can find my Ancestor. You’re going to help us kill him, keeping to your contract, since he struck first, and get us out of here.” Howlend grinned as Harras glared at him for several seconds in silence, only to eventually wave his hand. The Lightning surrounding the group flew back and he reabsorbed the mana.
“Where is he? The sooner we end this, the sooner I can leave this blasted hellhole. With the girl! Or all of you will die!”
Hearing Harras’ agreement, Howlend’s smile grew just the tiniest bit wider.
The fallen patriarch rubbed his hands together as he turned to walk away. A moment later, his group followed after, and reluctantly, so did Harras.
Unseen to all, in certain areas of the maze, the golden lines on the walls began to vibrate. Several of them broke apart, and thin black cracks began to spread where the mana flow in the formation was failing.
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Light flickered in and out of existence as black glass seemed to appear as the light filled walls shattered and broke under the might of several pseudo-Mythics. Two bloated and bleeding Cruor that had mutated beyond recognition fought tooth and nail against the force of several of the Cult’s [Blessed] monstrosities.
Yet, no matter how much the Cruor bled and broke, numerous mouths that were attached to tendrils and extra growths continued to chomp at the walls and bodies of the creatures of Light that they were fighting.
This seemingly endless battle had been going on for several minutes, and while the Cult’s [Blessed] weren’t dying in droves, the fact of the matter was that the battle was only delaying the inevitable.
What had once been a hole that was only a few meters wide when they had gotten there, was now a gaping maw that spanned dozens of meters wide and was continuing to grow.
“Kindled Ancestor! We cannot keep this up! I suggest sending a few of the [Blessed] ones to search for the Anathema. That way we can have a backup that will hopefully get us out of this before the maze collapses entirely.” The Cultist who spoke was the woman with the large book containing information regarding the status of the maze of light. “So long as those monsters have access to mana to consume, they will be able to continue growing, and we won’t be able to kill them. Not even the soul searing magic of the Radiant element is enough at this point!”
The Kindled Ancestor frowned as he watched the battle. He had been taking action from behind, providing support in the form of ranged attacks, both physical and mental, alongside the Cultists that were following him. Their efforts had done little, and it was only the fact that the Cruor was too swollen to be able to move at this point. Else they would’ve easily taken out the weaker Mages and Hunters.
‘Pull back for now. We’ll retreat to a better position to fortify ourselves while the rest of the [Blessed] creatures come to our position.” The Ancestor retreated with the others. He kept himself firmly in the middle of the group. This ensured that he did not look like a coward, but also made it so he wouldn’t be in the most dangerous position while fleeing. “How far away are the rest of the [Blessed]?”
The Cultist with the book flipped through it a few times. Several more names were no longer lit up. Sacrifices that had fallen to the Cruor that were causing so many problems for them.
“Over half are already here, with several fighting Harras that won’t-” she stopped mid-sentence and doublechecked one of the pages. “Shit! The [Blessed] that were fighting Harras have died.”
Her words drew the focus of everyone around her. The fact that Harras was no longer being held up meant that it was only a matter of time before he caught up to them. Worse yet, it was fully possible that he would wipe out the [Blessed] that were still on their way to this location. Which would spell even worse things for them, since they wouldn’t have the numbers needed to kill these seemingly immortal Cruor.
“Can you track his position? The maze should be able to tell you where sufficiently high levels of mana are congregating, shouldn’t it?” the Ancestor asked. It was one of the things he remembered he had contributed to the creation of the maze formation.
However, much to everyone’s dismay, the apparent Architect Cultist shook her head.
“The maze is falling apart. The drain on the mana holding it together is causing it to fail in different areas. The channels where the mana flows are just gone in certain areas, and in others... let’s just say that this isn’t the only hole that will need patching up if we can’t solve this problem now.”
Those grim words were nearly enough for the weaker members of the Cult to begin panicking. The Kindled Ancestor caught sight of this in the corner of his eyes, and the trembling Cultists found themselves pinned by a deathly glare filled with malice and light.
“Keep yourselves calm. How long do we have before the maze collapses at the current rate of decay?” The architect looked through her book.
“So long as there are no incredibly jarring blows to the formation’s structure, we should still have another hour or so. But we have at least three, if not four, variables that I can’t keep track of.”
Ezekiel, the Flurent family, the Shroud family, and potentially Harras. These were the variables that she couldn’t take into account, since she couldn’t tell what they were doing, or capable of doing.
The Kindled Ancestor opened his mouth to give another order, but a massive bolt of Lightning filled his vision as it flew overhead and struck the body of the closest Cruor. It shrieked in pain, forcing the humans to cover their ears from the noise. An explosive wave filled with viscera and Ichor filled the air.
It covered the [Blessed] abomination, draining their mana as all Ichor did to all Spirits and Hunters that were not aligned with the Void Element. The lingering electricity caused the flesh around the wound to spasm, and it failed to regenerate as quickly as usual due to the [Will] inside the magic fighting the [Will] inside the Cruor.
Behind the Cruor that was just struck, the other Cruor roared in rage. It sent several tendrils covered in fangs and teeth to strike at the group in front of it, but its reach was too short. Upon realizing this, it roared in anger once more, and struck out at the closest [Blessed] monsters that were near it.
While this was happening, the Kindled Ancestor turned to look at the group that was now approaching from behind them. Harras was at the front, with Meli and Howlend right behind him.
Ellen was mounted on a different Spirit, belonging to a Tier three Hunter that would’ve been useless in this fight. So, they were kept well away from any of the real action.
“... It looks like your death will have to wait,’ Harras’ voice filled the area, even though he had merely muttered the words beneath his breath. “It is apparent that your foolish betrayal was not the primary concern I thought it was. I guess I overestimated your abilities. Howlend, Meli, I leave this traitor to you.”
Meli clenched her fists and frowned. Her brow also scrunched up in concern, but it was Howlend that reacted the loudest.
“That wasn’t our deal! You said you’d kill the Ancestor and ensure that I became the true ruler of the Kindled family, as is my birthright!” Howlend’s commanding words sounded like the whining of a child. It was obvious that there were matters that were far more important than his desires, but it was apparent that his state was degrading even further. The others couldn’t help but look at him in disdain. His constant failures were finally taking a toll on their patience.
“We do not have time for your temper tantrum! If we do not stop those things from destroying the maze, then we will be destroyed alongside it.” Harras didn’t allow Howlend any time to argue. With a crack of thunder, he disappeared, and a massive blast of Lightning filled the area as he impacted against one of the Cruor. Their injuries had healed by this point, but Harras did his best to hurt them anyway.
It was apparent that their increased power was enough to make this far more difficult that Harras had hoped it would be.
“Old man!” Harras yelled back at the groups from his place in the battle. “Do what you will, but Howlend’s life is tied to Ellen’s. If he dies, she dies. You know what that means from the Empire’s perspective, do you not?”
The Kindled Ancestor, who was preparing to take out his descendants with the help of his Cultist supporters, paused and frowned. “Keep my worthless descendants alive. But kill the rest. It should be no problem for use, even without your [Blessed] beasts helping.”
Their orders given; the two groups were about to charge. Muscles tensed, weapons were readied, and spells were prepared.
Then everything stopped.
A shudder filled the world from two different places.
The edges of the gaping hole in the maze shattered, and rapidly spread as the mana in the walls went wild. Additional holes appeared in far off corners of the maze, and in the area near both groups, outside the range of the battle, but close enough to make them freeze in fear.
“The other groups... they’ve destroyed the secondary focal points for the formation...” The architect of the maze of light whispered with a visceral hatred lining her words.
Nothing else could be said, however, as the light of the maze grew brighter in an attempt to fight off the collapse. It grew to a blinding peak once more. The world shook as space began to distort and tear apart. A heavy pressure, physical in nature, not magical, threatened to crush everyone who felt it.
Then, everything stopped, and a new light filled the world.
This one was opalescent.
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The world twisted and shook. Stars filled the Void, and the blackness of empty nothingness brightened, ever so slightly. A constant thrum of energy filled space like the inverted image of ink spilling into water. Opalescent light spread through it all.
The boundaries of this space began to fill up quickly, and the strain of containing so much energy put pressure onto the walls that held it in.
“[CONDENSE]”
A voice rang out and the world began to spin. It twisted inward, tightly pressing together and pulling toward itself. [Gravity] kept it together while [Force], and other [Understandings] altered its properties.
Suddenly, the centrifugal motion warped, and rather than be condensed into a singular central point, the mana simultaneously contracted and expanded. The outside came inward, while the inside spread outward. A perfect circle spun inside of Ezekiel’s soul.
Darkness within, and darkness outside. But blindingly bright at the border between.
The space-between-spaces was filled.
A hand reached out into the darkness. Images, memories, filled the blank black canvas in front of him, while a Runic pen of white light carved out words in {Eldritch Script]. The meaning and [Understanding] infused in every letter tied together and formed a coherent whole.
A second circle formed inside the first. This one wasn’t simply a line of opalescent light. This was a summary of Ezekiel’s entire being. His life’s story, up until this point, was now carved into his soul.
Pulling back from the forming core within him, Ezekiel examined it one last time before reaching forward once more.
“[Trailblazer]”
That final word formed the center of his [Being]. It was now the central pillar of his soul, and the focal point around which he would condense his mana into a solid core inside himself.
A moment passed as he allowed himself to bask in the glory of fully taking a single step through to Tier five, all on his own, without having to have been pulled through by a Mythic Spirit.
Then the world shook, and Ezekiel was filled with a sense of danger. Not just for him, but for the souls that he could feel a connection to through the threads of fate, forged by his prior interactions with them.
Having stepped through the door, he now knew that he could teleport to anyone of the people who his soul felt powerful emotions toward. But not right now. It would be too dangerous to do that right now.
“Ezekiel! We have to go!” Shine’s voice roared through Ezekiel’s soul. It did nothing to disturb the Mythical structure that he had formed to serve as the foundation of his Ascension, but it was grating all the same.
“So close. I will have to finish this when I am done out there.”
With those words spoken into the ether of his soul, Ezekiel awoke to a world that was crumbling around him. Throwing his hands out to the side, the darkness of the Void that was replacing the maze of light ceased to be.
In its place, an opalescent [Domain] covered all.