Silence pervaded the grove of the Tree of Memories. After getting over his initial shock from Brun’s behavior and words, Ezekiel turned back to Brun with a glare. One that he knew that Shine was adding to in their own way.
‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’ Ezekiel asked, his tone was uncertain and cautious. ‘It’s basically too good to be true. I had honestly expected to find some sort of Relic, either with the Spirits or with one of the various tribes further north but going there would’ve taken too long. To know that there’s a potential answer to our problems right here and now is far too suspicious.’
Shine remained silent, but Ezekiel could feel that they were expanding their senses as deeply into the layers of space that surrounded them as they could. It was something that even he found difficult to do, since it wasn’t originally an [Understanding] that he had achieved on his own, but one that Shine had acquired when in the Ancient Legacy.
‘I don’t think we can trust him. Not when he’s clearly keeping something secret.’ They were just as cautious as Ezekiel, but it seemed like they were also more demanding. ‘I think we need to get some sort of reassurance from them. Enough to ensure that this isn’t a trap. That way, we can risk it without too much worry. Maybe we can get them into the war, or a contract that would act as a defensive deterrent?’
Ezekiel thought about it for a second. He closed his eyes, ignoring the smiling dog in front of him, and allowed himself to enter a state of partial meditation.
Neither of them had much information, and the space around the duo was being affected by the Tempest Spirit’s mana, but he still sought out as many predictions as possible.
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Opening his eyes, Ezekiel dumped all of his mana into a [Void Pierce]. Every drop of mana from both him and Shine was used to break through the Mythical Dog’s defenses.
The spell made contact, but the dog must’ve sensed something, since they barely moved out of the way, losing half their face, but darted forward with their jaw wide open.
Ezekiel cut the vision before it could end on its own.
A second vision started. This time with him and Shine [Jumping as far away as possible.
They immediately collapsed to mid-air, tumbling through the sky several hundred meters away. Disoriented and nauseous, Ezekiel nearly threw up, and Shine flew out of his hand. Two new craters formed when they landed.
He cut the vision off once again.
A third attempt, this time with a [Sling] to get as far away as possible.
It worked, for the most part. However, rather than fly in a straight line, they found themselves looping around in circles as tubes that diverted their movement back to their starting point continued to pop up. The pair ran out of mana and eventually came to a stop in the grove once more.
Over a dozen attempts were made. All of them ended in failure until Ezekiel decided he had had enough. He decided that, if he couldn’t escape, he would vent his frustrations with the last of his mana.
Letting his emotions run wild, he went on a rampage within his many visions. Sneak attacking, and even killing, at least one of the Mythical Spirits in front of him, only to die in return, was incredibly cathartic. Especially when he could end the vision before his own death took effect.
Taking the few openings that he had, to rip his way through the smaller distance to the Tree of Memories and break it, much to the Mythical Spirits’ horror, was also amusing.
‘You bastards seek to trap me here! Take a taste of your own medicine!’ He screamed with a wrath filled vigor. Over and over and over again, he continued to cause whatever disruption he could.
He forcefully pushed his emotions to the forefront of his mind and soul. The stress that had been building up over the years, but even more so in the past few months, was enough to break most people, and if it wasn’t for the nullifying properties of his mana, he would’ve snapped much sooner.
The small breaks he had taken to release the stress that built up over time prior to today were nothing compared to the sheer relief he had begun to feel as he delved into his visions of vengeance for himself.
However, allowing himself to go wild, even if only in an illusion, wasn’t all that he was doing.
These multiple visions also showed him something. A shift in the events that shouldn’t have existed. Changes in behavior and actions taken by Brun, which led to changes in Kork and Maya as well.
It was small at first. Just a faster reaction to a repeat of an attack that Ezekiel made. Brun would act slightly faster, and in an ideal way to react to the situation at hand.
Only when Ezekiel made a stark and sudden change did Brun’s reactions fail to keep up. Yet even then they were still faster than he’d have expected.
It took him a moment to understand, but when he did, Ezekiel felt a shudder run through his entire body. Brun was doing something that he had been certain was impossible for anyone else. A magic that, as far as he was aware, was unique to the Void.
“You’re predicting me,” Ezekiel said during one of his few visions that didn’t become destructive messes. It was a fact that gnawed on him and was a mystery he could no longer ignore.
To the side, the vision’s Maya and Kork just looked confused. Brun’s smile widened by half.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ the Tempest Spirit said with a hint of laughter in his voice. ‘Now, make a decision. The tree, or the Exalts that are coming to either ensure you’re trapped, either here, or with them.’
Ezekiel glared at the Tempest Spirit. His anger was still there, but he had vented enough that he could hold himself back from causing widespread destruction once more. Instead, he pondered over the idea that a Tempest Spirit could predict the future. He didn’t know how it was possible, since this magic went well beyond the physical aspects of the wind.
“Wait... the physical aspects...” A flash of inspiration passed through Ezekiel. “That’s right... while mana and magic use the elements, and the laws that govern them, they also act in ways that aren’t physical. Ways that are natural, but not focused on beyond the fact that they exist.”
It was something that he’d always seen before but hadn’t bothered to examine as something other than a way for him to use magic. Magic could affect the soul, which had no physical manifestation he was aware of.
At the same time, other elements did other things according to the [Will] of their wielders. Yet everybody thought that it was simply a matter of something that magic could do.
“These don’t tie into the [Understandings] that I’ve been focusing on though...” Not even speaking of his own element, he knew that all the information he had contributed to the [Understanding] of the elements for the purpose of progressing the growth of Mages, he only focused on the scientific aspects. Half remembered knowledge from his previous life.
None of it contributed to how Life Magic, which manipulated wood, could be used to heal, or how Death Magic was even a thing. Given that, yes, it could be used on flesh and such, but mostly focused on the soul, much like Radiant Magic could.
“You seem to be talking to yourself. Did you figure out what you intend to do next?” ‘Vision’ Brun asked with a chuckle. Ezekiel just ignored the vision, however, as his mind raced even faster.
Instead, he focused more on the conceptual and symbolic ideas that he had always passed off as different [Understandings] of magic that he figured he couldn’t get simply because they weren’t a part of his element.,
Looking back at Brun’s apparent ability to [Manipulate] and [Predict] via the Tempest element, Ezekiel realized that it was possible for the faintest of ideas to tie different aspects to an element to make a new magic that was seemingly unrelated to the element in question.
Sound traveled through the air. Words and actions created movements that could be followed, even predicted, if one was sensitive enough to know what the movements were. To track them to the source, wherever it may be.
Ezekiel’s visions were affecting him. Changing the way that he thought, and therefore changing the way that he acted. These micro actions created movements that shifted the air, the atmosphere.
With the right [Understandings] and [Truth], it wasn’t impossible that a sufficiently powerful Spirit, or Mage, could make predictions based on the available information.
This also explained how Brun could affect his [Jump] and [Sling] spells. Wind blew in directions. By manipulating [Directions] with his magic, Brun could just barely manipulate [Space]. Enough to warp how things moved within a given area, at least.
“It’s not just about how we [Understand] our element, or how it connects to what we are...” his voice shifted from one with clear and certain confidence to one filled with awe and wonder.
“Instead... It’s now about how we see our element, and how we can [Define] what it is, by expressing [Concepts] and [Symbols] that we can connect to our element using our own [Logic].”
A pressure began to grow inside of Ezekiel’s soul, but he ignored it as his mind ran wild. The edges of his vision were turning dark, and the world within his vision was crumbling away.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Is that the next change needed? To use our own [Logic] to impose our own [Rules] on the world with our element as a base?”
The moment the idea crossed his mind, Ezekiel felt himself enter a state of [Enlightenment], and the sight of the Tempest Dog’s eyes widening in shock and worry were the last things he saw before he was knocked out of his vision.
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Shine zipped over to catch Ezekiel. Their partner falling to the side was enough to snap them out of their own internal ponderings. But since they weren’t in the midst of predicting the most likely immediate futures, they were more prepared for sudden changes.
“What did you do!?” Though that didn’t mean that they appreciated having their partner collapsing in front of them.
“I did nothing. I can’t help it if he saw something that affected him like this.” Brun’s smile shrank, just a tiny bit, but didn’t fade away.
The slight narrowing of his eyes was still noticeable, however, and Shine just grew angrier.
“You obviously know something! I can feel that he’s experiencing a shift in his magic. One that I can’t interrupt!” It was instinctual, but Shine could tell, even with no basis, that reaching out to Ezekiel at this time, or allowing anyone else to do so, would leave him worse off than he could be.
Something that the other two Mythic Spirits weren’t aware of.
“Just let me-”
“No!” “No!”
It was actually Brun that pushed Kork away. Much to the Cavern Spirit’s shock.
Maya also turned her attention toward the group and peered at Ezekiel with more interest than before. Shine felt a sense of protectiveness well up inside them, and they moved between their partner and the Obscure Spirit.
Their avatar formed on the flat of their blade. Two eyes shaped like galaxies glared at the racoon in front of them with a fury burning as hot as the stars that they were made of.
“What happened!?” Shine’s voice began to warble as their emotions infected their words.
It wasn’t as bad as Ezekiel’s emotional outbursts, but it was still more than anything they had displayed before.
Brun must’ve noticed the escalating changes, because he finally sighed, and his grin shrank to a more rueful one. His lips were only just upturned, and his teeth were nearly concealed by his lips.
“I can’t say for certain, since I don’t know what they saw,” his words made Shine’s nonexistent hackles rise, “but I think that, when he was predicting the future, your partner had a revelation. One that let him enter a state of [Enlightenment]. When he wakes up, his soul will likely be at least one or two Steps stronger than it was before.”
Now, Kork was looking at Ezekiel as intensely as Maya was. Even Shine had to glance back at their partner with a bit of awe. Spirits rarely achieved [Enlightenment] and had to mostly rely on their instinctive knowledge as they grew stronger over time.
While this wasn’t the first time Ezekiel had experienced [Enlightenment], such a thing at the lower Tiers was nothing too special. It just progressed a Mage or Spirits development by a bit, their souls grew from the enriching flow of mana as their souls underwent a minor evolution, but at those levels it was barely a drop in a lake when compared to a Legendary or Mythical figure.
Not only that, but as a being grew in power it grew just as difficult for them to experience [Enlightenment]. Meaning that for a Mythical being it was ten-thousand times harder to experience enlightenment than it was for a being that was at Tier one.
“We can’t wake him up. I can move him, since my touch won’t set off his danger sense, but I need to lay him down again. Get this tree to open a path back to our room. He will give you an answer when he wakes up.” Shine said and lifted Ezekiel into the air with their telekinesis.
Brun silently whispered to the side. Shine could tell that he was speaking to something over the wind, and a moment later a hole appeared in the tree that they were all sitting atop.
“If he’s not here before Wolken and Strom, keep them away from us.” Shine floated with Ezekiel over the hole. They immediately descended, leaving the other Mythical Spirits to continue sitting around their little wooden table.
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The three Mythical Spirits gazed at the hole that Shine had entered. Brun continued to smile; his mouth now widened to its full width once more. While Maya and Kork looked on with narrowed eyes.
“Well, that was interesting!” Brun exclaimed, his voice playful and utterly ignoring the seriousness that his peers were displaying. “Who would’ve thought that a mere conversation would elicit a spark of [Enlightenment]. It seems like that young man will be reaching the peak much more quickly than we expected.”
“... What’s this ‘we’ you speak of? I am still against this. The Tree of Memories is not meant for outsiders to use. Not even your disciple knows of its existence, and even the Spirits that know of it are bound to never reveal its existence. Yet, you have done all these things, and asked for nothing in return.”
Maya grumpily pawed at the ground in frustration. Her claws left marks that were swiftly healed over. Similarly, the hole in the tree had closed at this point.
Brun just closed his eyes and settled onto the ground.
“Well, there’s no point worrying about it now. We’re nearing the endgame, so I think my actions are warranted.” The Tempest dog laid its head on its paws. “There’s nothing left to do but wait until my disciple and his friend get here. Though, I do hope that the little Herald awakens before they get here. It would be easier to argue that he wouldn’t be going anywhere.”
“Why does that matter? Your disciple and his ally are not able to make us do anything. Not even enter the war that they are fighting. Our duty is to protect the Tree of Memories, and ensure that this Spirit Haven remains safe, even if the end of the world should come.” Kork spoke with a disinterest infecting his voice. Brun could tell that the other Spirit was disappointed in what he was saying.
“If you wish to fight so badly, then after the Herald touches the tree, you may go with my student to the front lines.”
Kork and Maya whipped their heads around to look at Brun with wide eyed shock painted on their faces.
“Really!” “No!”
The two turned to face one another, both glaring at the other. One in indignation, and the other in disgust. Brun just sighed, not bothering to open his eyes, and his smile began to fade.
Kork and Maya noticed this, and they fell silent, much to Brun’s appreciation.
“The fact of the matter is that the world is changing. We need to change with it. Or do you suppose that the Humans, who have made exceptional leaps in development, will be unable to match us in even a couple of decades? Let alone the fact that we have no Tier sixes to defend us should the Broods break free.” Though harsh, Brun needed to make his fellow Exalted Spirits understand what was at stake. He knew that they could no longer remain in hiding. It was time for them to step into the world once again.
“Kork can go to the front lines, while you and I shall stay here. We shall also start recruiting from the Spirits that are bound to this Haven. If need be, I shall pluck a couple of leaves and let them try their luck.” His words were met with incredulous stares, but even as the wind described his companion’s faces, he still didn’t smile as widely as before. “This is no time to hold back. We need to increase our numbers., else the Haven will fall once the Cruor set their sights on us. We are protecting their target, after all.”
“Plucking the leaves will drain your life force. Not just your mana. Do you even have enough to make that kind of sacrifice?” Kork was worried, Brun could tell from the slightly gravelly tone in his voice.
Maya just seemed confused, which Brun could understand, given that she was the youngest, and least knowledgeable of the secrets of the Tree of Memories.
“I will be able to survive. Now, enough of this. We shall wait for my student to arrive, or for the herald to wake up. Either way, we will no longer speak of this. Unless you wish to challenge me for the authority to overrule me?”
Neither Kork nor Maya were willing to speak up. Instead, the two left the grove. Their own plans and intentions were clear to Brun, but not disruptive of his own, so he let them go.
Now, he sat and waited. Curious as to what Ezekiel would do when he awoke.
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It ended up being nearly a full day before Ezekiel awakened from his enlightenment. The strange and ethereal state of existence was almost impossible to grasp, but the benefits were great. Especially since his soul had grown two full Steps in the process of further comprehending and changing his mana due to the information that he now wielded.
The first thing he did upon opening his eyes once more was to simply hold a ball of pure Void magic in his hand. One that was different from any other he had made before.
“I see... so this is how it works...” The sphere wasn’t opalescent or invisible, like most of the spells he used. Instead, the little ball floating above his hand was pitch black. A [Space of Nothingness] that lacked even mana.
It was a complete and total absence of anything and everything. One that didn’t affect the world around it, even though he hadn’t put up any barriers to prevent its influence from spreading.
Using his [Will], he had imposed the idea of an absence of anything and everything into the world itself. It was draining, but not for his mana. Instead, he could feel his soul getting tired, and his mind straining to maintain this spell for much longer.
“What can you do?” he asked the little sphere in his hand. There was no answer, but that was to be expected. Instead, Ezekiel grabbed the pillow that his head had been resting on.
Touching it with the sphere, it was sucked inside with a high-pitched whine. But Ezekiel could tell that it hadn’t simply been absorbed or transferred to another space. It no longer existed. Its very presence had gone away, and he was beset upon by a migraine that threw him to the ground.
“Ezekiel!” Shine was by his side in a moment. Their presence was comforting, and Ezekiel was happy to have them here with him. “What happened? What was that?”
However, given that his head felt like it was splitting in half, he wasn’t so appreciative of their yelling. He held up a hand to stop Shine from talking, not trusting that he could reach through the bond between them without hurting himself.
He knelt on the ground for a moment, praying that his headache would go away soon. It did not, but a soothing sensation flowed through him after a little while.
Opening his eyes, the familiar sight of verdant colored Life mana filled his vision. A branch with a leaf growing out of it was resting on his forehead, extended from the wall of the tree that they were inside.
“Thank you,” he said after his headache faded away. There was no response. The branch just retracted back into the tree.
“Did anything happen when I was unconscious?” he asked his partner, once he could stand up again.
“Woken is here. Same with Strom. They’ve been asking about us, but Brun and the other Exalted Spirits in the Haven have been deflecting them. Though, I’m not sure how much more they’ll allow themselves to be held back.”
Ezekiel frowned. That wasn’t good. They needed the Hunters and Spirits to be on the same side right now. Yet it seemed like they were on the verge of fighting. At the same time, however, Ezekiel knew that meeting with his fellow Hunters would just escalate matters, since they would likely want to interfere with his plans.
“Ezekiel... I think we need to visit the Tree of Memories...” Shine quietly spoke up from the side, pulling Ezekiel’s attention to them. “I don’t fully trust the dog, but I know we need to grow stronger much more quickly than before. Ever since reaching Tier five, you’ve stagnated, and I’m not doing much better. If it wasn’t for your [Enlightenment] how many years would it have taken you to reach this level?”
The thought wasn’t pleasant, and he couldn’t help but turn away in shame. He knew that he shouldn’t be feeling this way, but he also knew that progressing at the same speed as others wasn’t going to save humanity. He needed to grow faster, and while his original plan had a chance of working, the risks were much higher.
“Fine... We’ll give it a shot. If Brun was being truthful, then our [Acceleration] magic will ensure that we’re not locked up in memories for too long anyway.” Marching toward the door that would take them out of the tree, Ezekiel thought about it more in depth, and realized that this was a chance that only a Void Mage would have.
No one else could even touch upon manipulating time, so it made sense that this opportunity would exist only for him. Even if it was suspiciously convenient.
Anyone else might be trapped for centuries, yet, so long as he maintained a constant rate of mana accumulation, he could pass that time in mere days. A year at most.
“There will be consequences to this. I hope you know that.” He didn’t look at Shine as they both exited the tree. In front of them were the glittering mirrored leaves of the Tree of Memories.
A few feet away, a gray Tempest construct that looked like a smiling dog glanced at them. It smiled wider than a real dog ever could and turned away. A gust of wind filled the area, and laughter flowed into Ezekiel’s ears.
“I know,” Shine replied, ignoring the spell from Brun. “But everything has consequences. It’s up to us to determine whether they were worth it or not.”
Ezekiel smirked, stepping closer and closer to the Tree of Memories. Placing a hand on the bark, while Shine leaned against it, his perception of the world sped up, while he entered a state of meditation to gather mana as fast as he spent it.
The [Thought Acceleration] spell wasn’t costly, and while the world seemed to come to a stop, he pushed his mind and soul into the tree. A moment later, the world went dark.