Riley and the Luminances had made for the border to Quintessa in a straight line. Celia was at her largest size, and there were countless forest fires spread by both the Flame Hunter and Spirit. A swath of ash and charred earth tailed behind them.
It had taken her and Celia a few minutes to properly reach their full capacity when it came to their mana, but once they were ready, the pair took to the sky, flying through the Desolate Lands at top speed.
At this rate, even without expending that much mana, Celia’s Tier five power would get them to the border in just a couple of hours. Though she would be nearing exhaustion once they landed.
“Do you think Ezekiel will be okay?” Wendy asked once they could see the border of the Desolate Land. “I want to trust him, but I feel like things won’t work out properly.”
Ellen and Evelyn turned to Riley, the one who knew Ezekiel best at this point. The fact that nothing seemed to be coming after them implied that something was going on, but none of them could be sure of what exactly Ezekiel and Shine were doing to keep the Brood locked away.
“I don’t know about Ezekiel, but I know that he won’t let the Brood get free,” Riley said, her voice quiet while she focused on watching their surroundings. “Ultimately, the fact that there haven’t been any major changes since we left is a good thing. Given that Ezekiel opened the seal, I can only imagine that if he had failed to close it again, we wouldn’t still be running. Something far worse than anything we’ve ever witnessed or experienced before would be coming after us instead.”
Her words caused Wendy to grit her teeth in frustration, while Evelyn let out a sniffle as she began to cry. Reya, who had curled up on her lap, nuzzled into her stomach to try and comfort her.
There was only silence until they reached the edge of the border.
Denoted by a shift between the black, lightless clouds of miasma turning into bright white and gray ones that let dull sunlight through since it was midday.
They continued to fly, but as they got further from the Desolate Lands, Riley felt something. A shift in the air, one she only noticed due to the unnatural changes in temperature.
Her eyes narrowed, and her attention peaked as she focused on their immediate surroundings. A silent conversation passed between her and Celia, who picked up the pace to get them further from the border. Only for a gust of wind to nearly throw her passengers off her back.
“Take us down to the thickest part of the forest that you can!” Riley could tell that this was an attack, and she sent out waves of heat that warped the natural air flow around them.
This would make it at least a little bit more difficult for whoever was attacking them to strike them down. Celia was also tired. Her magic was nearly full, but Riley could tell that her Spirit needed the rest.
Before they even touched the ground, Riley sent out a wave of fire that immediately set the forest a blaze. With her [Understandings] imbued in the flames, the initial spark turned into a conflagration in just a few seconds. The magic that was infused into her spell made the fires jump between trees far more rapidly than would normally occur, and showed no signs of stopping any time soon.
“Come out, Wolken! I know that you’re here! It’s sort of obvious when an unnatural gust tries to knock us out of the sky. What the hell do you want!?” Riley called out to the sky, her senses spreading through the flames and telling her what existed in the area covered by her fires.
There was no immediate reply, but that was fine with Riley. She was able to take the time to focus on her flames, and the resulting destruction that she was causing to the forest.
To those looking on, they would be amazed by the dull yellow flames that were spreading at a rapid pace, but not burning any faster than a regular flame. In fact, they seemed to burn slower.
This was a unique spell that she had developed half a year ago. One that forged a battlefield where she could know all of her enemies’ movements.
The only downside was the fact that she couldn’t sense things underground, which was how she had gotten captured before, because the Wyrm Lord ambushed her when she was fighting the Rotten Matriarch. One that had then led to Evelyn’s capture when she was distracted.
She had learned from her mistakes, however, and noticed a distinct lack of change in the earth’s heat below them. So, without another second of waiting, she had Celia take them all into the air once more. Something that the Spirit did, but not without visibly displaying her exhaustion.
Riley actually had to use her flames as a booster to get them high enough to avoid the snapping stone jaw that was about to clamp shut around them.
“Wolken, you bastard! You brought Strom with you as well? Call him off already! I have news regarding Ezekiel!”
The forest below blazed, and the flames began to turn red since Riley was losing control over it due to having left it for the open air. Smoke began to billow upward, but she kept it away from herself and the Luminances. However, much to her shock, a twister nearly a kilometer wide sprung up around them, and the stone jaws below them sank back into the ground.
Her fires were snuffed out in an instant, and she knew that this was not Wolken she was dealing with right now. The Tempest Hunter was powerful, but even if his Spirit had broken through, that would not give him enough mana to counteract her fires like that.
“You must be Riley. Ezekiel spoke about you when he was with us over the past year or so. I must say, it’s nice to see that his faith in you was well founded. Even if you did eventually get captured.” A smiling gray dog with too many legs descended as the tornado continued to blow around them. “For there to be two true Mythical Hunters is wonderful, since it means that there might still be some hope left for the world. Now, what was that you said about having news regarding the Herald of the Void?”
On the ground below, Riley could see a massive Cavern Spirit, a crocodile in appearance, that rose from the earth. A stone spire lifted it into the air until it matched their height.
Riley could tell that this wasn’t a battle that she could win. If given the chance, and the energy, she and Celia were both ready to break through to Step two of Tier six, once they had recovered. But these Spirits would still be several steps higher than her and her Spirit combined.
“Who are you?” Riley asked, while putting herself between the Spirits and Ezekiel’s family members. “How do you know Ezekiel?”
Rather than look upset at her questioning, the Spirit, Brun, just smiled even wider.
“I am Brun. The one who hosted and hid Ezekiel for the past year. All so he could gain the power to, hopefully, face the Broods on equal footing.” The tornado disappeared, and a calm, sun filled sky now greeted them. “I am also the one who trained Wolken and his Spirit to the point where they could reach the Mythical Tier decades ago. But that is not quite important right now.”
However, now that the clouds had been blown away, Riley and the others could see that there was something wrong.
Rather than a clear blue sky, as it should’ve been outside the Desolate Lands, there were white cracks cutting through the blue expanse that sparkled with different colors.
Incredibly similar to the color of Shine’s blade.
“Now, I’ll ask you again, what news do you have, regarding the Herald of the Void, who may very well be behind the destruction of the sky?”
Brun’s smile grew even wider, and Riley decided that she didn’t like it.
There were far too many teeth on display for her to feel safe.
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After meeting up with Wolken, who had set up a camp with his guild members not too far from where Brun had intercepted Riley and the others, Riley told them what she had seen, and explained what Shine had told them.
For the moment, the only ones included in the discussion were the six Mythical beings. Brun, Kork, Wolken, Riley, and the latter two’s Spirits. All of them were gathered in a large tent with numerous seals placed to keep things private from the rest of the camp.
Once she had explained that Ezekiel had sworn an oath to open the seal, and then proceeded to apparently do so, a heavy pressure from the two Wild Spirits filled the area.
“This does not bode well for us. The argument that Ezekiel would never release the Broods, not even for his family, was one of the primary means that we used to defend him. If this information gets out...” Wolken trailed off, ignoring the pressure from his mentor and Kork. “Are we certain that he managed to close the seal again?”
Riley shrugged, but a drop of sweat formed on her brow from the glares directed at her.
“I can’t say for certain. All I know is that there was literally nothing to indicate that the Cruor were chasing after us. Something else seemed to be going on. But it’s been hours now. If the Brood was unsealed, I think we all would’ve noticed by now. Even with how tricky they’ve shown themselves to be, I don’t think that they would keep things secret. The power of a Tier six is too great for them to bother waiting around. The world would be shaking if a Brood’s true form was loose in the world once more.”
She tried to sound confident and did believe what she was saying. The stories that Ezekiel had told her, regarding the memories and knowledge that he shared with her, painted a picture that was far bleaker than what she currently knew was going on.
The cracks in the sky obviously came about as a consequence of Ezekiel’s actions, but what they meant for the seal was something she wasn’t sure of. Had Ezekiel been able to reseal the Brood properly, or had something been lost in order to simply put the deadline back in place?
No one knew, and no one could know. At least not before Ezekiel returned to them and explained. Something that none of them were certain was even possible.
“At this point, it matters little what Ezekiel decided to do. We must gather as many of our forces as possible. Our strongest members need to be focused on direct strikes on the Desolate Lands. Hopefully, planning such a thing will be able to keep those that are panicking around the world in line. Even the various Wild Spirits are causing chaos due to whatever it is that has changed.” Brun shook his head and stood up. “I’m not sure about you, but I can smell a war on the winds. One that isn’t focused on merely drawing out one specific target, or capturing a handful of Hunters that they can no longer touch.”
The side eyed look that Riley received sent chills down her spine, and she knew that Brun was planning something. Likely to use herself, Evelyn, and the twins, since the Brood had sworn an oath that would prevent the Cruor from harming them.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Be that as it may, we need to know what’s going on before we can make a proper plan. If we go into the Desolate Lands without any information, then we might as well be walking to the chopping block.” Wolken sighed and ran a hand down his face.
“If necessary, I would be willing to go back and do some scouting. I don’t think that the oath binding the Cruor, via their master, has been broken, so it wouldn’t be too dangerous. Especially since the most dangerous flier in their forces is dead.” A malicious smile spread across her face at the thought of Derrick, the Winged Lord, being dead. He had been one of the most annoying Broodlords that Ezekiel had faced over the past decade or so.
“That can be done, but I will be accompanying you. I intend to see what happened to my little project with my own eyes. If possible.” Brun stretched and began walking out of the tent, his fangs still gleaming as he continued to smile. “You have half an hour, then we set out. While we’re gone, I want you, Wolken, to go up and examine the cracks in the sky as best you can.”
The Tempest Hunter grimaced, and his Spirit hissed in disdain, but neither did anything to defy the stronger Wild Spirit. At the same time, Kork sighed and sank into the ground, complaining about how he hated being the one in charge of protecting the weaklings.
“Do you think we’ll be okay? I’m fairly certain that, even if the Brood isn’t out yet, Ezekiel isn’t going to be there.” Riley and Wolken both ignored how the wind kicked up. She decided to just accept the fact that Brun would be spying on them.
“I don’t think it really matters. Given the situation, we need to know that the Broods won’t be breaking free anytime soon. Otherwise, what little remains of humanity’s social order will be destroyed.” Wolke stood up and went to place a hand on Riley's shoulder. “However, I must say that I trust Ezekiel to be alright. He’s done a lot to fight for his loved ones and has always said that he needs to save the world. Which, for him, would most definitely include humanity. Not that I think we’ll need to rely entirely on him for too much longer.”
Riley got what he was implying quite easily. Currently, she was the only other person who had reached Tier five on her own, but it was something that meant that Ezekiel’s methods had worked. Other people would likely begin breaking through soon as well.
It had taken a year, but Riley was confident that, given her experiences, she would be able to progress to the next Step soon. She already knew she was capable of it, after all.
“Well... Hopefully you’ll be there with us when we eventually reach Tier six.” She smiled, thankful for Wolken’s words, since she had noticed his own breakthrough, as recent as it was. But when he didn’t smile back, she knew that something was wrong.
“Unfortunately, that might not happen. My breakthrough helped a lot, but when you force something that’s broken to push harder than ever before, it just gets even more broken.” Wolken frowned, and his Spirit let out a quiet hiss that Riley felt just oozed sadness. “My body might be strong enough to withstand channeling my and my Spirit’s power, but my soul has broken even further. I’m still holding on, but while I won’t be dying anytime soon, I won’t be reaching the end of my lifespan either. A couple more decades at best. That’s if I don’t try to push for another breakthrough.”
Hearing this, Riley felt a part of her crack on the inside. Wolken had been a tough but fair supporter for bother Ezekiel and herself for years. To know that he was slated for death, with no way of making further progress hurt.
Not as bad as finding out that Evelyn was going to be stuck at Tier four, but it hurt, nonetheless.
“Oh... I see... Then, at the very least, I’ll at least make sure that you get to see a Hunter that you had previously trained reach that level. It’s the least that he can do once he gets back.” The absolute certainty that she felt in Ezekiel breaking through to Tier six brought a smile back to Wolken’s face.
“I can’t wait to see it. However, you should get going. I’ll arrange some trustworthy people to help keep your in-laws safe, so go with Brun without any worries, alright?” Wolken patted her shoulders and nudged her along.
Riley nodded and turned, rushing out of the tent with Celia on her shoulders. She needed to let her family know what was going on, and make sure that they were settled as best she could.
There was no way of knowing when she would be back, and while their reunion had been too short for her tastes, it might be a while before she met up with them again.
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All around the world, massive cracks filled the sky, visible when the clouds were clear, and shining a bright light everywhere during the night. Countless people in every nation began to panic, with Scholars from the Church of Ten dedicating everything they could to the study of what could possibly be happening.
In the Archipelago, Sanafalls, which had already had a schism due to Evelyn’s presence, and the Scholars who wanted to trade her over for additional support from the Void Temple Cathedral, was panicking while citizens ran around in fear.
Similar scenes happened all throughout the ocean, with normal Mages demanding answers from the Hunters from different Guilds, and the Scholars from their local Cathedrals, Churches, or other houses for the members of the Church of Ten.
This was not unlike what was happening in Quintessa, but to a more extreme extent, since the Continent had a more unified society, as opposed to the spread out and separated nature of the Archipelago.
It was only the islands that were home to the Exalted Hunters and Spirits that didn’t see chaos and discord spreading through the people.
Most Hunters were able to remain calm, since they knew enough about the Cruor, through the war they waged with them, to realize that, if the Broods had gotten free, then things would not be as quiet as they already were.
For one thing, the Church of Ten would’ve issued some sort of warning. Yet nothing was sent out.
The islands given to the refugees from the Empire were calm. Taking a wait-and-see approach, since they knew that their presence in the Archipelago still greatly depended on the mercy of the natives, even with the Exalts that were present.
Food and trade were necessary, after all, and the noble Exalts of the Empire were not likely to lower themselves to the point of being pirates. They had a young Emperor to set an example for, after all.
It was ultimately the old Empire that was the worst off. The lack of any Exalts to properly hold the reins of leadership meant that there were only Legendary Hunters that could lead.
While not as numerous as Adepts and lower, the number of Legendaries left holes in the leadership. There were too many of them to definitively determine who was in command.
Originally, as the representative of the Cult of Light, Endaria would’ve sent word regarding who was in command in such a situation, but she was captured by Quintessa, and the one who was giving her orders, Radiant Chaos, was currently indisposed, not that the rest of the world knew that right now.
Thus, factions formed within the Empire, and fighting filled countless towns and cities as the Legendary leaders tried to enforce their own order with their small groups of like-minded individuals.
All for the sake of the Radiant Lord, but only their opinions of what their lord would want.
However, despite all the unrest caused by the changes in the sky, there was ultimately a certain level of peace that was occurring. As paradoxical as it may seem.
For it was only humanity, and the Spirits that had bonds with Hunters that were causing issues.
Wild Spirits that inhabited the hidden and untouched islands of the Archipelago saw no changes beyond a sense of wonder when they looked to the sky. Ill and foreboding omen though it may be, there was an ancient sense of familiarity that all the Wild Spirits of Eldramir could feel.
The sea itself trembled under the cries of two of the strongest and oldest Spirits in the world. Their attention was brought to the sky, and their followers crying out alongside them. Islands trembled, and fissures formed in the depths of the ocean.
In the nearly overrun mountains of the Fjorya, Invera and her fellow Guardian bird Spirits cooed softly while looking up at the lines running through the sky.
Invera, having reached Step three after so many years of fighting, was far away from being able to commune with the world, but could just barely hear the whisper of joy over the fact that something had changed. Though she couldn’t tell if it was for the better or not.
At the same time, due to their relative knowledge regarding the situation, Brun and Kork showed worried glances at the cracks every now and then. It wasn’t enough to dictate their actions any differently, and even they could sense something familiar now present in the world.
However, the cost of these changes was something that they were still worried about.
All the while, in the still protected Spirit Haven, within the grove that surrounded the Tree of Memories, Maya was torn between joy and panic.
The sense of familiarity that had taken the Wild Spirits of the Haven by storm had affected her too. Yet, it was hard to bask in that sensation when the thing that she was meant to guard was trembling and emitting power beyond anything she had felt before in her life.
The flora that wasn’t directly tied to different Life Spirits was now glowing with different colored light. Mostly Radiant gold, but also the light of the other elements.
An instinctive warning flared in her mind with every flash that wasn’t the same black color of her own mana. As if something was tearing itself apart, just to put itself back together once again.
Not only that, but while she stared at the Tree of Memories in fear and shock, a single leaf fell from the nearly Ancient tree. Something that had never happened before.
Word was sent out minutes later, and Wild Spirits of all types were sent to bring word to Brun. The only one that might know what was happening, and what to do.
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While the rest of the world was panicking, or basking in an unknown, yet familiar warmth, the Desolate Lands were quiet. If anything, it was almost like they were in mourning.
One of their masters had nearly been freed but was now sealed away yet again. This time, more tightly than before.
“... What do we do now?” It was Christopher, one of the younger Broodlords, who spoke first. His breath was raspy, and he barely moved from where he laid on the ground after he and the rest of the Cruor had been spat out of the strange space with nothing but white light.
“I do not know. One of our best options might be to just wait it out. But I fear that that will no longer be a feasible option. The humans and Spirits now know the means by which they can grow stronger. Before, it was just blindly following the instincts of the Spirits, while the humans crippled themselves to keep up. Now, with the time that it will take to release our masters once more in the decades, it is possible that we will be wiped out before the seals can be broken in full.”
Rafael’s words were met with silence. None of the Broodlords wanted to admit it, but their second eldest member was correct. Now that the seal had been reinforced, it would be years before another one could be opened.
It might be possible for one of the other seals to be broken before then, but if it wasn’t, then it was only a matter of time before another Void Hunter rose to prominence.
They hadn’t taken many efforts to kill them, after all. Just harvest those that were useful for weakening the seal. As miniscule as that use had been.
“Drake! What are your thoughts on the matter? How can we get back up to speed with the other seals? Your master was the one who had the best idea of how to get out.”
Drake seemingly ignored Rafael’s words. Instead, he laid in a heap of ooze that bubbled on the ground. It appeared as though he was completely unresponsive.
“Drake!” Rafael, as emaciated as he was, threw a rock at the bubbling pool, only for a tendril to whip out, and a painful shriek to fill all their ears.
“Run away!” Drake’s gurgled cry was the only thing that they could make out before it was silenced, and the originally oily ooze that made up his body began to glow.
Gold at first, until it completely covered his body. Then the glow grew brighter, turning white and blinding, even as the screams faded away.
When the light faded, a humanoid body with ten tendrils stretching out of its back, made out of what looked like a greasy molten gold, stood where Drake had been spread across the ground.
“A shame,” an unknown voice filled the area. One that made the Broodlords instinctively wish to submit. It was something that was utterly ingrained in their beings. “I had hoped not to use this method. It is such a waste of a useful servant, after all.”
Weakened as they were, the Broodlords could do nothing while Radiant Chaos stood amongst them once again. Now using Drake’s body as his vessel.
“Come along. It’s not perfect, but it seems like drastic actions must be taken, if my brethren and I are to take our places as the rulers of Eldramir, as we were always meant to be.”
Without a word, and with no input from themselves, the Broodlords began to move. They fell in line behind Radiant Chaos, with a sense of wonder and fear spread between them.
It was ultimately the only thing that they could do.
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Unknown to everyone else in the world, Ezekiel was in a bit of a bind.
He had successfully escaped the Radiant Chaos Brood, sealing him away after opening the prison that contained him just a tad, but now, he was slowly losing his life.
At first, remaining in the space-between-spaces wasn’t difficult. Then he realized that he had nothing to latch onto to get out. His previous attempts were desperate and didn’t involve getting out of a [Closed Space] like the seal that held a Brood’s true form.
‘Ezekiel... this isn’t good. I’m not sure how much longer I can last...’ Shine’s light flickered on and off, their voice strained within Ezekiel’s mind. The effort being used to keep the destructive forces of the space-between-spaces was on the verge of tearing them and Ezekiel apart.
Let alone the unconscious Warren, who was floating next to Ezekiel, who held his father with one arm, while holding Shine in the other.
‘Just a little bit longer... I’m sure I’ll be able to sense something soon... Please, just hold on a little bit longer!’ Ezekiel’s desperate pleas seemed like they were about to go unheeded.
Then he felt it. Something that wasn’t the nothingness of the place that they were currently in. It was far away, however, and it took him all that he had to reach out to it.
With a pull that used every ounce of strength he had remaining, along with Shine’s, who was straining themself as well, he managed to open a rift, and throw himself, Shine, and his father through it, landing harshly on the cold, stone floor.
“Well... this is a surprise...”
A voice that he could barely hear was the last thing he heard before he passed out.