There was a quiet and tense atmosphere that filled the surroundings outside of the Spirit Haven. Derrick, Serin, Tryskan, and Jillian felt as though their blood was boiling. The energy released by their rushing Ichor was enough to flatten the majority of their forces.
“Where is he!? Where did he go!?” Derrick yelled, his voice carrying over a vast distance.
The air trembled and his wings vibrated with barely restrained rage.
“Calm yourself! You are killing our troops!” Tryskan slammed his tail down on Derrick’s head. The Winged Broodlord was flattened in an instant.
In the meantime, Serin and Jillian were spreading their Spores and insects far and wide, in an attempt to cover as much of the surrounding area as possible.
“I’m sorry. It seems like we weren’t lied to. The Herald has indeed grown far more powerful than before. None of my hive have managed to find any trace of him. He has gone far beyond my reach.” Jillian said, her voice buzzing through the bodies of her swarm.
“I can’t find him either. My Spores were destroyed the moment that they made contact with him.” Serin’s eyes widened for a moment, and Tryskan realized that she was focusing on something far away.
“What is it? Did you find something?” He asked and raised a hand to hold off the others from raising their own inquiries.
She shook her head after a few minutes of silence. Derrick had taken this time to calm himself down and climb back to his feet.
“I’m sorry. I managed to get several of my Spores into the Haven itself. I focused on rapidly growing them to maturity to spread their influence as far and fast as possible. Unfortunately, it seems like they were either prepared, or more powerful than expected. The small forest I grew was destroyed by... Something I couldn’t see or sense, not long after it had grown to maturity. None of my Spores remain.”
Tryskan frowned, and Derrick’s feathers grew ruffled once more.
“Ignore the Haven for now. The fact that he had to break free of it as he did means that the Spirits weren’t exactly approving of his departure. His wounds were proof of that.” The Wyrm Lord muttered with a hand on his chin in thought. “Given that this place is no longer a priority, our forces can be sent out to search. He can’t have gotten too far away, even with his Spirit helping him. We only have a small line leading between here and our Desolate Lands. Maintaining it has been troublesome, but it looks like we will have to remain for a while longer.”
Frowns and glares were spread across the faces of all the Cruor that heard him speak, but no complaints were raised. Which was a good thing, because he was just as upset as they were, and was close to simply snapping, and killing the first person to defy him.
“I’ll get scouts and try to clear up the area of any Hunters that might’ve moved into the area. We can’t let him die before he does what we need him to do.” Derrick took to the sky before anyone could say anything. A bird cry filled the air and a few hundreds of Winged Cruor of varying Tiers followed him.
“... Jillian, please send some of your swarm to keep an eye on him. He’s far too willing to follow orders right now, and I don’t trust his words. We don’t need him killing the Herald when we’re so close.” Tryskan didn’t look away from Derrick, and Jillian went to do as asked.
Insects of countless thousands of different types filled the sky, but disappeared upon reaching a certain height, becoming invisible rather than forming a massive cloud.
“What shall I do?” Serin asked the various Rot and Umbral Beasts that were under her control looked to the Wyrm Lord for directions.
“For now, you shall aid Jillian with searching for the Herald, but we also need you to keep this place locked down. At least for now.” Tryskan turned away from the barrier that covered the Spirit Haven. He would also leave the area to hunt for the Herald.
“Are we not done here?” Serin’s face twisted in confusion, but Spores spread out from her body all the same. “What is the need for me to watch over it?”
Tryskan paused and looked back at her. She flinched, and he realized that his killing intent had escaped his control for a moment.
“The Herald grew in power massively during the one year he was here. It is not a priority, but we should not just give up on the chance to acquire whatever it was that granted him that growth.” Reeling in his intent, Tryskan’s body twisted, and his humanoid portions were covered in scaly growths.
With nothing else to say, he dove into the ground, ignoring how Serin had increased her Spore production, and dug into the tunnels, created by himself and his Wyrm Cruor, that spread through the mountain range. Avoiding the trapped ones that were made by the Spirits in the Haven as he did.
A part of him was still annoyed, but another, larger part, was confident that his time in Quintessa was coming to an end. His and the other Broodlords’ masters would be free, and they would take their rightful place as the rulers of this world.
They would be second only to their gods, and only death would stop them from getting their way.
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Unknown to the Broodlords, after that first [Jump] Shine continued to move, not stopping for anything, and had long since departed from the area that the Cruor now controlled. The skies were clear, though growing darker due to it being evening now, but that hadn’t lessened their, nor Ezekiel’s ability to perceive the world around them.
“You should allow yourself to sleep. Forceful recovery like this isn’t going to help you.” Shine nearly pleaded with Ezekiel.
“I need to set a few more injuries into the proper recovery position, or else I’ll have to reopen or re-break some things to make them heal properly.” Ezekiel gasped in pain as he reset a bone in his chest.
These injuries were almost entirely from the original Grand Spell that he and Shine had forcibly absorbed. Even now, after draining a large portion of their mana, they were both feeling bloated from how they had forced themselves to grow that last Step.
“Fine. But if you don’t go to sleep the moment your bones are in the proper position then I’ll knock you out myself!”
Ezekiel just chuckled at their words but didn’t dispute them. Instead, he just focused on the task at hand. It wasn’t until several minutes later that Shine realized that he had finished.
Much to their silent delight, Ezekiel kept his word, and allowed himself to drift off while trusting Shine to keep him safe. Given that they had retained the majority of their mana, rather than spend it on delaying their injured state with the new magic Ezekiel had shared with them, they were confident that they would be ready for anything that might come for them.
Though, hopefully, with how fast they were moving, it would be possible for them to be well outside the area of their enemies’ influence.
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The events that happened at the Spirit Haven were not kept hidden from the forces of humanity that were keeping an eye out. This led to a resurgence of chaos in the areas of Quintessa that had recently settled after the Cruor’s invasion and break through into their nation.
“Any word regarding what, exactly, happened?” Wolken, who was currently sitting in an inn while recovering from his most recent fight with Endaria. A hot meal was in front of him, and he was covered in bloodied bandages. “The Haven isn’t exactly communicating with anyone, and it’s basically impossible to enter or exit without permission, so even conjecture would be nice at this point.”
The Legendary Hunter from the Prime Guild bowed lower and replied.
“While we haven’t confirmed it, the movements of the Cruor have more or less indicated what has happened.” The man paused, and Wolken waved with his fork for him to continue. “Given how they have spread their forces out as much as possible and are scouring the immediate area and expanding the places they hold influence, we believe that the Herald of the Void has left the Haven.”
There was a hint of anger in the man’s voice that didn’t escape Wolken’s notice. He sighed in annoyance. The fact that he and Strom had kept Ezekiel’s location secret for so long had gotten them in a lot of trouble with the Church.
Fortunately for them, the fact that they were the most powerful Hunters currently loyal to Quintessa as a whole meant that there was nothing the Church or its followers could do to them.
“Are you a watcher?” the Tempest Exalt asked, only to roll his eyes when the Legendary Hunter tensed up. “Calm down. I know who each watcher in my Guild currently is. You’re new, so I’m just confirming. It’s not like there’s anything you can do to me anyway.”
“... So, it’s true... you hold no concerns regarding the potential end of the world.” The Hunter growled, and his fist clenched when Wolken just threw his head back in laughter.
“I know that contracts are not the only thing that can be trusted in this world. Ezekiel is the best bet we have, and even if he somehow does let one or the broods out, he’ll make them pay for it in such a way that they’ll wish they were still sealed.”
Still chuckling, he waved off the Hunter who had all but confirmed that he was spying on him. Rising from his bow, the man moved to leave the inn.
“Oh, and one more thing. As your superior, I’m ordering you to spread the word. We’re moving out in three days. It’s time the Cruor were reminded that they don’t belong here.”
A heavy pressure emanated from his body, and the small, nearly unnoticeable winged snake that was curled around his mug of tea, shone brightly with gray mana. The power of a middle-Step Mythical Spirit was nearly suffocating, but it disappeared almost as soon as it was shown.
Nearly stumbling over his own feet, the Legendary Hunter ran out of the inn as fast as possible.
Wolken continued to eat his meal, only frowning after several minutes had passed. His ears twitched as he heard his orders conveyed over the wind. A magic that was gifted to him by his master before contact with the Spirit Haven had been cut off.
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“What do you think? Do we stand a chance to take one of them out if their forces are split up?” His words were a mere whisper, but he knew his partner could hear him just fine. “Even if you managed to push through again after the last battle, there’s no guarantee that we can kill a Broodlord.”
His Spirit uncurled from where it was wrapped around the still steaming mug of tea.
‘We need to try. Even if we fail, they cannot be permitted to group up once again.’
As his Spirit’s voice faded from his mind, all that Wolken could do was nod in agreement.
“Yeah... Can’t leave everything for Ezekiel to take care of. It’s not fair to him. Not with all the shit he’s already been through.” He reached out to grab his tea and downed it in one go. “Let’s practice. I've recovered enough, and I want to make sure I can push myself as far as possible. Maybe even have a breakthrough myself, if possible.”
Heading up to his room, Wolken sat on the floor and let his Spirit grow and wrap around him. Hidden from all the people watching over him, his body began to glow with glowing Runes that flowed from his Spirit’s body into his own.
Quiet grunts of pain were left unheard as his Spirit ensured that no noise would escape the room either. All to ensure that Wolken’s unseen metamorphosis was left undisturbed.
Unaware, and uncaring, of the movements of all the other forces of the world.
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Stepping out of the cave that Shine had carved after creating wards and other formations that would keep their location hidden, Ezekiel stretched and let out a breath before taking in the fresh morning air and sunlight.
“It’s almost enough to make me forget that the world is going to shit right now.”
There were no signs of Cruor, no torn-up landscapes, and no angry magics or mutated abominations trying to kill him. The air was cool and crisp due to their more northern position, and even the water of the ocean not far away sparkled in the distance.
Next to him, Shine was floating, and their avatar was looking into the distance alongside him.
“... We need to go back to the fighting, don’t we...” they asked, but with no regrets or resentment in their voice.
“Yes, we do. However, we can do so on our own terms.” His eyes narrowed as thoughts of the Broodlords passed through his mind. Given the sheer disparity between their and his new strength, he felt confident that he could kill them if he fought in one-on-one battles.
“First, we need to get to a town. We’ll keep ourselves hidden as best we can, but we need more information, and we won’t get that in the middle of nowhere.” Rising into the air, he and Shine began flying south. “Given what I remember of the overall geography of Quintessa from our time in the Prime Guild, we should be able to reach a town if we head in this direction for a few hours.”
The pair had risen high enough to see over several mountains, and almost the entirety of the forest below them. At this height, it would be simple to see human civilization when it came over the horizon.
“How do you intend to get information when we get there? You’re considered a wanted man that needs to be killed on sight.”
Shine’s question nearly made Ezekiel stop to think about it. That would be difficult, since it wasn’t likely that anyone that he asked was going to simply answer him. Not without paying a cost, at least.
“... For now, we’ll have to play it by ear. After we get a general sense of things, we can then start approaching people and asking the necessary questions. Riley and mom first, since it seems like they’re on the Continent, and then my sisters.” That felt like an appropriate course of action to him, and he wasn’t getting any premonitions that he needed to worry about either.
“If we get the chance..., can we give it a shot at fighting the Cruor as well? I feel like thinning their numbers would help the Hunters here push them back.” Shine’s suggestion was a prudent one that Ezekiel heartily agreed with. “Maybe once we meet up with Riley and your mother, we can also take the time to look for that Spirit...”
This time he stayed silent. While he and Shine had worked through the emotions from Shine’s final memory dive, they still wished to avenge the life that he had experienced.
“Town first... I’d like to eat some actual meat, and not whatever it was the Spirits were capable of feeding us.” Though his words were lighthearted, he expressed his intent to help Shine with their quest through the bond between them.
From there, they fell into a comfortable silence as they flew toward their destination.
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Getting into the city wasn’t that difficult. Ezekiel was powerful enough that he could easily circumvent the defensive measures of a simple town without destroying them. It might’ve been different if it was a major city, but neither he, nor Shine, wanted to deal with the full might of the Guilds and Church of Ten. Even if the former was far less powerful politically, than it used to be.
He currently sat in an in, earrings with a simple illusion spell were attached to conceal his hair color. Something that he, with his mastery of enchanting, only took a few hours to make after he got the supplies necessary.
He was now disguised as a Radiant Mage, and Shine had shrunk their own size to something more manageable for a human’s physique. Ezekiel’s Void strength being far greater than even other Mythical humans would have.
“By the Ancients, that is good!” he let out a moan of content and leaned back from his meal. The chair beneath him creaked from the weight of his enchanted armor.
Several other patrons looked at him in askance. He figured it was because it seemed strange that a random Legendary Radiant was here, rather than fighting in the west. That didn’t matter, however, and he waved down a waitress to order more.
‘It seems like the people in this town are more talkative than we expected. Just the rumors being spread about your current disguise have already painted you as a traitor to humanity. One who fled from the front lines.’ Shine mentally conveyed their observations of the people around them.
‘It’s fine. I’m more curious about the mentions of a sudden lack of intermittent conflagrations along the edges of the Desolate Land. It seems like Riley figured it out.’ Ezekiel spoke with pride at the thought of his wife reaching Tier five. He knew that she wouldn’t have taken the easy way, and allowed her Spirit to drag her up, so that meant that she had progressed all on her own.
‘It also indicates that she’s near the southern border, rather than the northern one. Which means we’ll have to cross almost the entirety of the nation before we get closer to her.’ Shine sounded incredibly exasperated at the thought, but Ezekiel let it pass. He was kind of hoping that Riley would’ve been closer to their position as well.
‘Perhaps we can finish your request before we get there. If you’ve managed to find out anything else from your memories?’ During the hours that it had taken them to get here, and the hours that Ezekiel spent crafting his disguise, Shine had done their best to [Predict] where they needed to go for him to fulfill his promise to the memory of the Spirit whose life he had lived.
‘I have. If we’re headed south, then it should be on our way. The only problem is that I think that area is now controlled by the Cruor. The stars would only be right if we passed the border.’ A sense of frustration and disappointment flowed through their bond. ‘At least this means that we don’t have to waste time on ancient history.’
‘... We’ll still check it out. Now that we’re not traveling with others, we can do what we want. Perhaps we’ll even be able to catch a Broodlord off guard.’ While he still wanted to see his family again, Ezekiel also wanted Shine to be able to get their own closure.
The memories that he had experienced were nothing like the ones that Shine had. So, it wasn’t feasible for him to know what it was like to feel such loss. However, he knew that it was something that was important to Shine, so he wanted to do this for them.
Movement outside of the inn alerted the Void users of some new figures that were headed their way. With the way that their mana was being channeled, they both knew that this wasn’t going to be a polite exchange.
‘Oh great. It looks like we’ll have to leave sooner than expected.’ Shine’s complaint drew up an amused snort from Ezekiel. ‘Should we just leave? It’s not much, but we did get some information. It didn’t even require an interrogation.’
‘Honestly, with all the trash talking that the city has made against us, I feel like we won’t really be in the wrong if we loosen a few jaws, and lips, in the process of leaving. It would give us a better sense of the Church’s stance against us, and perhaps help us find out why the fires spread by my wife have stopped.’ That had been something that Ezekiel had thought was strange, given Riley’s temperament, she would be careful, but she wouldn’t have stopped without a good reason.
The sound of the doors to the inn slamming open drew his attention. Within seconds, the rest of the patrons had fled, and even the workers and owner, who Ezekiel knew was the one that reported them to the town Ruler and guards, had fled the scene.
The leader of the guards, a Legendary Hunter with a brown Hound Spirit, stepped forward.
“Greetings... I haven't seen you around here before. Any chance you could tell me where you’re from?” the man spoke with a casual sense of confidence and self-assurance. “Given the situation to the west, we’re on the lookout for cowards and deserters. So, we’ll need to see your identification before we let you go anywhere.”
Ezekiel didn’t say anything, he just took another bite of his food, and then a swig from his recently refilled glass, only to pause as he tasted the liquid. Then he drank it even faster, and slammed the glass onto the table, shattering it and causing the other guards to flinch.
Their leader smiled at first, but then frowned when Ezekiel didn’t show any sort of symptoms.
“I’m surprised... I wouldn’t have thought that you would try to poison a man who’s simply traveling. But I guess that, if the Church has hammered down decrees that won’t even allow Legendaries to travel without paperwork, then it’s obvious that you would resort to Cultist means and methods.”
Scowls and glares took shape on the faces of each of the Hunters in front of him. He just smiled and realized that Brun’s deflection tactics were actually quite amusing. At least when he was using them.
“The fact that you would compare us to such monsters and traitors can only mean that you are also against the Church of Ten. We will be taking you with us, to be punished for deserting the war effort.” The guards all formed constructs, and Ezekiel felt a series of temporary formations spring up outside the inn. Nothing that would be harmful, or even effective against him, but he still admired their quality, given that this was a small town with barely a few thousand souls.
A fact that was made known to the guards, since they were flattened to the ground alongside their Spirits a moment after their spells were channeled. The backlash of their magic being broken before coming to full fruition was painful, but not crippling, and Ezekiel found himself no longer willing to care.
“I had originally thought that I should take care with finding out information regarding the world after the past year I spent in the Spirit Haven, but it seems like I had forgotten one, ultimate, rule of magic.” Ezekiel rose from his seat, using his telekinesis to make the guards look up at him. The fear in their eyes as they failed to bring forth even the slightest hint of mana in the face of his [Nothingness] made his stomach twist in displeasure, but he held firm. This needed to be done.
“Might makes right, unfortunately, and it’s time that the might of the Void was remembered.”
Removing his earrings, the illusion that changed his features faded away, and Shine grew back to their original size. The guards paled even further once they realized who they were facing.
“The... Herald...” their leader barely managed to squeeze out through his clenched jaw.
“That’s correct. I had hoped that my reemergence into this world would be more opulent, and that I could prove my worth by killing a Broodlord. But it seems like I’ll have to settle with this little town spreading word through Com-Slates.” Ezekiel turned his head, and a crow that was observing from nearly a hundred meters away, perched atop a roof, squawked and fell onto the ground.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he felt the Hunter that had watched from afar scramble away as fast as possible. He exerted his will, and a few telekinetic tugs made the young Hunter freak out even more. As did the whisper of knowing where he was that Shine sent through into his ears.
“Now then; I have questions, and you will give me answers. Then, I’ll be on my way.” Ezekiel focused on the guards once more. “So, who wants to go first?”
None of the guards spoke up, much to his disappointment.
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It was only minutes later, after having all his questions answered through tearful blubbering, that the inn exploded from the force exerted by Ezekiel’s abrupt departure.
By this point, most of the town was cowering and praying that they would not suffer the wrath of an angry Mythical being. However, as the ground shook and dust fell from the rafters, many felt that their prayers were ignored. Only for nothing to happen for several minutes.
Eventually, some brave souls would venture out to the inn, only to find a bag of gold with a note attached, stating that it was for the meal and damages done to the building.
As well as a pile of groaning guards that had soiled themselves, each with their Spirits unconscious and buried up to their necks in the ground. After they dug them all out, the ruler of the city would ask what had happened, and once he managed to get answers from the guards, notices were sent out to all the Com-Slates that would spread word to the other cities. Along with the Church of Ten.
Each message would say the same thing.
“The Void is Back, and he has left to retrieve his family.”
Immediately, panic set in for those who heard this message, since the last that anyone had heard, the Broodlords had finally gotten their hands on the Void Exalt’s family just last month.
Thus, the only place that he could be headed was the core of the Desolate Lands. The last place that anyone wanted him to be.