Ezekiel stood in a crater surrounded by barren land that was torn up in multiple areas. There was a near-perfect circle that spread out for a hundred meters from his position. His mana thrummed periodically while he took several deep breaths to keep himself calm.
The decaying bodies of several Cruor, Winged, Rot, and Blood, laid strewn about. Their Ichor tainted the land, but Shine was quick to gather it up before it could seep in too deeply or dissipate before they could make use of it.
“This is a problem,” Ezekiel said as he used his magic to speed up the process of destroying the bodies of the Cruor. “The Broodlords are getting impatient. I would’ve thought that they’d be willing to wait, what with the seals only being good for a decade or so. Do you think that they know something that we don’t?”
Shine moved over to float next to him, and the two finished up within a few minutes.
“Maye. But that doesn’t matter that much, does it? For all we know, the information they have could be different. They could think that the seals aren’t anywhere near being broken, and that’s why they’re pushing so hard to get you.”
Their words made sense, and Ezekiel took a moment to ponder over it. Yet, he couldn’t help but think that the situation was far worse than Shine was assuming it was.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a tired and frustrated sigh. “This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I mean, I knew we’d be hunted, but the fact that it’s the Cruor that are the closest to catching us means that they really have been sandbagging.”
The back and forth between humanity and the Cruor had been something that had bothered most of the leaders that he’d spoken to, but nobody could determine why the Cruor would do this.
If they were capable of getting this far into humanity’s territory, then it was more than possible for them to cause more damage. The war would take a massive shift in direction if the Cruor weren’t set on maintaining certain battle lines.
“What do you think they were trying to tell you?” Shine turned horizontal, lying flat in the air and allowing Ezekiel to climb on to sit. “They said that they had a message for you.”
Ezekiel shrugged, “They probably had some sort of false promise from the Broodlords to try and get me on their side. Best not to think about it or allow them to speak.”
He didn’t voice the nagging feeling he had in the back of his mind that told him it was something else. It was fully possible that the Cruor would have something to say that would succeed at manipulating him. So, it was best to ignore such things and simply take action to eliminate them before they could run their mouths.
“It’s not something we should concern ourselves with. Not when there’s so many things for us to do. We still need to get the necessary supplies to make new Artifacts for the battles to come. As well as figure out a way to gather the necessary mana to push for more breakthroughs.”
Shine took to the air while Ezekiel was speaking. A bubble surrounded them to keep out the wind pressure. They flew with no resistance, easily breaking the sound barrier, but also going as high as possible to stay out of sight.
Only Wolken would have a chance of reaching their current altitude. The other Elements simply didn’t have the means to effect the atmosphere in order to survive.
“Fow now, we’ll head north, and avoid the Desolate Lands. That’s almost certain to be the first place the others will look for us. Even though it means that our progress will be slightly slower.”
The Desolate Lands were the best place for Ichor to be harvested. Something that Ezekiel wished he could afford to avoid, but with the new deadline in sight, he couldn’t afford to wait.
“... I might actually have an idea about that,” Shine said, their voice still coming out aloud, rather than mentally. “Perhaps, rather than simply crushing the [Will] within this Ichor, we can use it to train. You can’t tell me that your soul didn’t grow after the strain it experienced cleansing the Ichor from before, can you?”
Ezekiel thought about it for a moment. That was a possibility, but not one that he had considered, since it meant needlessly suffering for gains that weren’t very significant.
“We’ll discuss that later. For now, I’m going to meditate, and try to find a more accurate course of action than flying around looking for clues.” He craned his neck to look at the barrier covering the world that was invisible to all but him.
He didn’t notice it from below, but this close he could sense the ebb and flow of mana that was filtered in from the Void outside of Eldramir. The similarities to his own [Shroud] were the most prevalent features he could recognize. Yet the most interesting aspect was how the different [Understandings] mixed to make it stronger and more efficient.
For a moment, he was tempted to push himself higher, to try and take a bit of that mana for himself. But his instincts flared up, and he could tell from his contract that such actions would count as damning the world, not saving it. So, he gave up on that thought process.
Instead, he reached out his senses, falling into a deep trance as he attempted to divine where he and Shine should go next. There had to be some secrets left for him to discover that would be of use.
Something that could help him had to exist out there. If there wasn’t then fighting off the Cruor was going to be harder than he hoped it would be.
In the darkness of his own mind, his thoughts and emotions mingled with his mana, and a hazy image took shape within the darkness. A mixing of different colors. Elements, specifically Spirits of different elements, were gathered together within a similar geographical feature.
A massive caldera-like structure. Hidden from human eyes and ears. Not even Spirits that weren’t welcome inside would be able to find it. Yet now, he had a direction.
“That way. We’re looking for a mountain range. I’ll know more when we get there.” He pointed off to the side, and Shine changed directions while speeding up.
While he wasn’t certain he’d be able to get them into a Spirit Haven without an invite, others had done such things before, so hopefully he would be able to as well.
If the Cult could do it, then he, as an Exalt, should be able to as well, right?
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Flying through the sky, Ezekiel gazed down at the world with a level of focus he usually reserved for when he was fighting the Broodlords. At the same time, he was mentally reaching out to the [Shroud] that was above him, hoping that it would grant him some answers.
Every now and then, he’d gain a flash of insight, and Shine would change their direction according to his instructions. But such moments were fleeting, and while he could feel a vague push or pull, here and there, while they flew, the two of them had yet to find a single trace of a Spirit Haven.
Even though they were well outside any city regions or other human controlled territories.
“Are you certain that this is the best way to look for a Spirit Haven? For all we know there’s no haven currently formed within Quintessa right now.” Shine had been flying around with Ezekiel standing on them for the past few days.
The pair had stayed far away from civilization, and while their supplies weren’t anywhere near running low, the efforts they were taking to remain hidden were wearing on them
“...No need. I think I’ve found it.” Ezekiel narrowed his eyes, a slight glimmer of mana appeared in his vision, while the slight tug in his gut pulled in the same direction. “Even if it isn’t, then at least it will be something that breaks up the monotony we’ve been suffering.”
Since their senses were shared right now, Shine saw the same thing that Ezekiel had.
“What should we do if it’s Hunters instead?” they asked, a hint of concern lacing their voice.
Ezekiel didn’t reply, instead, he just sighed. He could tell that Shine didn’t care about the Hunters. They could easily take anyone that came after them down, but at the same time, Ezekiel didn’t want to do that. Not unless they were members of the Cult of Light or Willowbrush Empire.
“If it’s Hunters, then we’ll just see how things develop. So long as it isn’t Wolken or Strom, it won’t be an issue.”
With that said, Ezekiel leaned forward, and Shine tilted toward the ground. The pair descended at an angle, headed toward the glimmer that they could see in the distance.
A [Shroud] covered the two of them. Air flowed around them, and the world seemed quieter as Shine touched upon his [Closed Domain] to further conceal them.
They didn’t fully understand it, but by borrowing aspects of the spell itself, the [Shroud] became even more secure and hidden. Instead of merely being concealed, the barrier that surrounded them was more like a different state of existence.
“This new trick is certainly helpful. Same as being on our own. I’m grateful to the Hunters that came with us, but for the moment, taking them with us is truly a hindrance.” Ezekiel allowed Shine to fly them forward while he more deeply examined the spell that covered them.
Shine didn’t reply, but a sense of satisfaction and pride flowed through their bond, and the duo approached the ground. They only remained high enough to recognize the greater geographical features.
“We’re almost there,” Shine said, their voice was more relaxed and easygoing.
Only for the shimmering light that was in front of them to disappear.
“Hurk!”
Ezekiel pitched forward, nearly heaving up his lunch, and Shine twisted in the air. The two tumbled, their senses warped and shifted. Both fell through the sky, unable to recover themselves as their souls seemed to spin in place. A sense of utter disorientation basically petrified them.
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Two large dust clouds formed and rose into the sky upon their respective impacts with the ground. The craters that formed were dozens of meters wide, and nearly as many deep.
‘What the hell was that!’ Shine exclaimed; their words were silently sent through their bond with Ezekiel. ‘It felt like when we [Jumped] but... more like it was forced on us and cobbled together, rather than controlled and specific like our spell.’
The world slowly stopped spinning, and Ezekiel pushed himself up. He wobbled for a few seconds, and even after he managed to get into a sitting position, he didn’t dare to channel his mana. With how disorientated he still was, he knew that if he tried, he was likely to blow off one of his own limbs.
“I think that was whatever the Spirits used to conceal their Havens... It seemed like it was some sort of quasi-Void spell...” His words came out in choppy bursts. His stomach was still rolling from the sudden shift that had messed with his senses.
‘Do you think the Void Remnant can do anything like that?’ Shine asked, their voice was steadier now, and it seemed like they were coming to better than Ezekiel was. ‘Do you think that we’ll be able to do this to others?’
Ezekiel thought about it for a second and realized that this was simply the same effect that others would suffer from when he would [Jump] with them in the past. Such things stopped happening when he had reached Tier five, however, and he knew that weaponizing it would be hard.
“That would require us to force others to [Jump] in a chaotic and uncontrolled manner. Something that can be disrupted and canceled if the target has sufficient energy to alter their environment.” He thought back to the number of times he’d had to fight for openings in battles to [Jump]. It was significantly easier now, but since he couldn’t control the energy that surrounded others, it was hard to determine whether or not the spell would work. “For now... I just hope that they didn’t notice us... I don’t think we’re in any condition to fight right now...”
He was steady enough to stand up now, but he knew that a fight would be difficult for him. Especially if they were set upon by a large number of Legendary Spirits.
“It’s too late for that, Hunter.”
Ezekiel whipped his head around, and Shine crashed into the ground next to him from how rapidly they moved to get back to his side. He grabbed their hilt and got ready for a fight; his vision tilted once more.
At first, he thought that it was simply his dizziness acting up again due to his sudden actions.
Then a hole opened up below him and a large crocodilian maw was spread wide beneath his feet.
Even as befuddled as he was, Ezekiel’s sensitivity to mana was still great, so he could easily tell how strong this Spirit was, and it nearly made his heart stop.
“Mid-Step Mythical Spirit!”
He brought Shine back with the intent to swing before he was snapped up in the Spirits jaws. Only for his body to freeze in midair. Feeling a hint of foreign mana affecting him, he glanced out of the corner of his eye.
A pitch-black Spirit that looked like a raccoon was pinning something to the ground. It was only the moment after the jaws of the Cavern Spirit snapped shut around him that he realized that the other figure was a Mythic Obscure Spirit. One that had pinned his shadow and stopped his movements.
‘Damn it all!’ Unable to yell out loud, Ezekiel could only rage internally.
All while he remained stuck inside the mouth of the Mythic Spirit that had eaten him alive. The binding placed on him by the Obscure Spirit still held, even now, when he was out of range.
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The ground where Ezekiel and Shine’s impact craters formed was flattened out with the departure of the crocodile Cavern Spirit. To the side, in the shadow of a tree, the Obscure laid on the ground, panting in exhaustion.
“That brat was incredibly powerful...” the Spirit muttered, their voice was a soft and raspy whisper. “I haven’t had to use that much mana for a single binding in nearly two and a half centuries...”
“High praise coming from yourself.”
The Obscure Spirit jerked back in surprise, before glaring at air in front of her. A sea of [Shadow-Spikes] filled the area in front of her.
“Ouch!” The air wavered and a large dog with eight legs stood in the air above the spikes. Its hooves had scratches from where the spikes had nearly pierced through them. “Rude!”
The Obscure Spirit hissed in annoyance. Her fangs barred as she glared at the Spirit in front of her. For its part, the dog Spirit just laughed, and a gust of wind ruffled the Obscure Spirit’s fur.
“Don’t be so upset. Just because a traveler from afar blew in is no reason to get your fluff all knotted up.” The Tempest dog Spirit laughed at its companion’s plight. “Besides... The winds of fate are blowing in a much more tumultuous manner.”
The smile and laughter on the dog Spirit’s face fell, and he gazed into the distance. A light shone in his eyes. One that the Obscure Spirit narrowed her gaze in response to.
“What have you sensed?” the raccoon-like Spirit asked, her voice soft and cautious.
“... My old student is coming. Alongside his own. Kork would like him.” The dog looked at the newly flattened ground. A result of the Mythic crocodile that just left.
“The winds of war are blowing... We will not be able to avoid it. Not if we wish to survive the coming catastrophes.” A wide-eyed and vacant look spread across the dog ‘s face. “Destruction, or salvation. Either is an option... though the one that will choose has yet to be decided.”
Silence pervaded the landscape. The Obscure Spirit tilted its head in confusion, while the Tempest Spirit became unnaturally still. He remained in this state for several minutes, while the much smaller Spirit stayed by his side until he regained his awareness.
“Achoo!”
A small typhoon encompassed the region of forest that the two Mythical Spirits were standing in. It was short lived, but when it ended, the Obscure Spirit was hanging upside down in a tree, wide-eyed, dazed and panicked as she held onto the branch she had managed to cling to.
“Sorry about that. I guess I need to cover my nose next time.” The Tempest Spirit shook his head and looked at the Obscure Spirit. “You, okay?”
The Obscure Spirit just closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and released her grip on the tree. “It’s been over a hundred years and you’re still so immature. It almost makes me wish that you would enter a trance far more often then you already do.”
With a sigh, she landed on the ground and turned into a puddle of shadows and darted away, only to disappear once she reached an unseen boundary.
“I guess she was fine.” A small twister surrounded the Tempest Spirit, and he turned his head to stare into the distance as his figure faded from view while the air shimmered and erased all sight of him. “Get here faster, you feathered, scaly, scarf! We’ve got guests!”
His words flew on the wind, going far beyond the nearest mountains. It took several minutes before the normal wildlife returned to the area. All life having cleared out seconds before Ezekiel and Shine had hit the ground.
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Several hundred kilometers away, just outside one of the inner cities of Quintessa, two Mythical Hunters were in disguise. Their presence was unknown and unnoticed by the citizens around them.
“Are you certain that this is, okay? We are very far from the front lines, and while the borders have been quiet so far, there’s no telling when the Broodlords will act out again.” Wolken had originally not been worried about leaving the border to find the Mythic Spirits to aid them, but that had been with the expectation that Strom would remain to act as a defensive presence. “I am more than capable of dealing with these Spirits on my own.”
Seated in the inn’s dining area, Strom and Wolken were having a final meal before heading out into the wilderness to find the Mythic Spirits that Wolken knew of.
“It’s fine. At this point, with the stakes being what they are, I need to keep an eye on you.” Strom did not look up at Wolken when he responded. Given that Wolken immediately glared at him, this was a good decision.
“Did my sister give you those orders?”
Wolken and Wilma had been far more estranged since she had deceived Ezekiel and taken the side of the Void Remnant. While he had agreed that humanity needed to be protected, he did not believe that Ezekiel would destroy them all for any reason. Even if there were circumstances that prevented him from swearing oaths to confirm it.
“No. I chose to do this myself. I know damn well that it’s unlikely that we’ll find the Void Exalt here. Given he’s more likely to be at the border, I figure that my presence here will be safer.” Strom took a bite of his meal and a long pull from his drink. “I also figured that this would keep you from running off and doing something stupid, like assaulting the Cruor the moment you got back up from the Spirits.”
Wolken snorted and chuckled before finishing off his own meal.
“Well, hopefully your presence will get us another Spirit to provide aid. That old lizard loves to fight, but always hated it when he battled me. Too flighty, he’d always say. If he gets to smack you around a bit, then he’ll probably agree to come with us.”
Strom finally looked at Wolken; eyebrows raised, and a question on his lips.
“How many Mythic Spirits are we going to see?”
“Only three. They’re the only other Mythics in Quintessa, and they tend to stay hidden for the most part. Given that there wasn’t any point in trying to push into the Desolate Lands prior to recently.”
His words made Strom pause, a spoonful of soup was placed back into the bowl.
“What do you mean, ‘wasn’t any point’?” His face twisted in confusion, and his focus, and that of his Spirit, shrunk down and nestled beside him, narrowed in on Wolken.
The Tempest Mythic scoffed, “I guess you wouldn’t know it. Not even my sister and the other old guard, that still live, like to acknowledge it. Simply put, it has to do with the regions of the Desolate Lands. Once you get far enough in, the world itself changes. It’s like the whole place is flooded with the miasma from the Spines. You new Myths wouldn’t know this, but that’s the reason the Cruor weren’t wiped out when the tides changed during the Age of Despair.”
“Is that why the Void Mages are so important? They can fight without being drained of mana.”
Ever since Void Mages had gained strength, they were almost always included in the teams sent to destroy new Spines. Except in the Empire and Tarquessa, of course.
“More or less. That’s another reason why I think the old Spirits will enter the fight. We actually have a chance at winning that didn’t exist before. It doesn’t matter if Ezekiel might destroy us at the same time. With the now known deadline, we have to--”
Wolken stopped speaking and raised a hand to keep Strom silent. He closed his eyes and leaned to the side. His other hand moved and cupped behind his ear as if listening to something that no one else could hear.
“... Finish your meal. We set out as soon as possible.”
“What’s happened?” Strom began eating much faster than before.
“I was wrong. I thought that he would try to finish things as soon as possible. Not look for other means of support. The Cruor and their Ichor are basically mana crystals for him, after all.” Wolken git his teeth as he fell deep into thought over what he had just learned. “My teacher just messaged me. It seems like Ezekiel has found the Spirit Haven before we did.”
Strom nearly threw his now empty dishes onto the table. This was not what Wolken had said would happen before. So, it was with great vigor that Strom threw a handful of coins on the table while he and his fellow Mythic marched out. It didn’t matter that he had overpaid by nearly three hundred percent.
They needed to move fast, or else Ezekiel might get the Mythic Spirits to do something that could ruin their intended plans. Humanity wasn’t ready for a full-on assault just yet.
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Ezekiel laid on his back, quietly contemplating just breaking out of the stone shackles that were keeping him bound to the top of the large pillar that had been erected just to hold him.
‘We could just leave. It’s not like they’d be able to catch us once we got out of here.’ Shine said through their bond. The blade that was their physical body was stabbed up to their hilt into the ground not far away. ‘Not that we know what to expect, I’m sure that the weird disorientation that hit us before won’t affect us nearly as badly as it did the first time.’
‘Honestly, I agree, but we’re talking about three Mythical Spirits that are all, individually, stronger than us. It would probably be in our best interests to keep things calm, and not be too antagonistic toward them at this time. Especially since we want their help.’
Shifting slightly, Ezekiel used his magic to create indents in the earth beneath him. Just to make his position a little bit more comfortable, and to let his captors know that he wasn’t helpless.
The ones watching him either didn’t care or weren’t powerful enough to do anything at this time. Though, he did feel a few of the eyes that were observing him leave the area.
“You’re quite skilled. It seems that the little we know of Void Mages has become defunct information.” The same voice that called out just before Ezekiel and Shine were taken away filled the cavernous area they were trapped in. “You seem calm... are you not afraid of death?”
The massive face of the crocodilian that had eaten them before popped out of the ceiling. It was very reminiscent of what he had seen the Spirit in the Ancient Legacy do.
‘Those were good times,’ Ezekiel mused, his eyes never leaving the Spirit above him.
“It’s not that I don’t fear death. I just know that you need something from me, and until you get it you won’t kill me.” Now that the Spirit was present, he no longer felt the need to remain as he was.
Flexing his body, the reinforced stone that kept him down was weakened by his [Nothingness], while his [Force] was [Enhanced]. He sat up amidst the rubble that now surrounded him.
Shine also [Jumped] to his open hand, but the Spirit did nothing throughout the entirety of this event. He simply stared as Ezekiel with eyes raring for a fight.