The first thing Ezekiel noticed when he woke up was that there was something near him that was breathing heavily. The second thing was that he was lying on a cold hard surface that felt metallic, but still rough like stone. It was a strange texture that made him pause before pushing himself up.
Shine, are you awake?” He tentatively reached through his bond to his partner but got nothing back. However, it wasn’t because there was anything blocking him, it was just because Shine was sleeping. A state that Ezekiel was only semi-familiar with, since it wasn’t often that Shine, or he, bothered to sleep anymore. Though it was harder on him than it was on the Void Spirit.
Climbing to his feet, Ezekiel got a look around, and immediately noticed that he was in a hole. It was a perfectly circular hole, with walls that were metallic in color but stoney and rough to touch. The diameter was several dozen meters. More than large enough to fit himself and many others inside it.
Reaching out, he tried to poke it with his hand and mana, and to his shock, a bolt of energy shot out and zapped him. It wasn’t strong enough to do anything to him, but it was still surprising.
Taking a moment to look around, he saw that Shine was leaning up against the wall, and his father’s massive, mutated body was currently snoring.
The sight of the massive Spirit-Hunter hybrid abomination was shocking, but he felt no malice nor danger from it, so he decided to leave it be for now. He had other things he needed to worry about.
Examining himself with his senses, he realized that, as painful as the last few hours, from his perspective, had been, he was in surprisingly good condition. His soul was still holding on quite well, and beyond the usual strain that came about from life and death experiences, he wasn’t suffering from any debilitating aftereffects.
“It seems like my luck isn’t getting any worse, at least.” He closed his eyes and rolled his neck, stretching as best he could to loosen up. “Now then, where are--”
He cut himself off when he looked up. Instead of the natural blues, reds, oranges, yellows, and odd streaks of purple in the sky, Ezekiel saw dark green. Something he had never witnessed in his entire life.
“... Spirit Haven... It must be a Spirit Haven with a strange protective formation...” Saying this, he immediately sat down to begin meditating. Upon reaching outward, he was happy to know that he could feel the soul of Eldramir, still slumbering as it was, when he allowed himself to feel the world around him.
However, he was surprised to find that he could barely do so. It felt like Eldramir was incredibly far away, while still being all around him, so he knew that he was still on Eldramir.
He hadn’t somehow found himself in an alternate dimension, or on another planet or something.
“If that’s the case, then where the hell are we?”
Picking up Shine, but letting them sleep for a while longer, Ezekiel looked at his father’s slumbering form once more. Walking over, he placed a hand on the large figure.
Expanding his senses, he could feel that his father’s soul was actually there. Just like Radiant Chaos had said. But it was more like a swirling mix of several different substances.
It was nothing like the separately defined existences of a Hunter and their Spirit, whose souls were two individual existences that were tied together by their bond.
With what Ezekiel was sensing, it was apparent that Warren and Theo’s souls were mixed together. Only this was much more in depth than the corrupting effects of the Cult of Light’s [Blessing].
Yet even with all of this, it was apparent that Warren wasn’t dying. If anything, he was slowly healing from the injuries that were still visible on the fringes of his soul.
“What the hell was done to you...” Ezekiel whispered while standing up and leaving his father’s side. “Who could’ve done this? Your soul was on the brink of collapse.”
“Whose soul was what now?”
A crack of displaced air signified Ezekiel’s departure from his previous position. He appeared at the opposite side of the hole, Shine now held in his hand as he forced his senses to go to their maximum focus and awareness.
His heart nearly stopped when he saw what had just spoken.
Floating in the air next to where he had been standing was what he could only describe as a flying piece of tattered cloth. One that was attached to what appeared to be a blank human-faced mask.
Completely composed of a black, starry night sky.
The mask smiled at him, and Ezekiel felt a sense of awe. Like he was looking at something so much bigger than himself. As if he was standing at the foot of a sheer cliff at the bottom of a mountain.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Perhaps we’ve met before?” The mask tilted its head. “Though, since I know your soul is not one of mine, I can only assume that such is the case. So, I guess the real question is, what are you doing here, and how did you get here?”
Ezekiel remained silent. His mind ran rapidly while he tried to figure out what was going on. This shouldn’t be possible. The Ancient Void, Eldramir, was still asleep. It should be impossible for it to be speaking to him right now, let alone taking shape like this.
“... You’re not Eldramir!” He sent out a pulse of [Nothingness] that shattered the figure that was floating in front of him. The world itself seemed to ripple, and while the hole that he was in didn’t change, the Spirit that had snuck up on him shifted.
It was a ghastly thing that was something like a massive firefly but glowed with a dull indigo light.
A Death Spirit that had affected his soul. Worse yet, it was a Mythical Death Spirit. Of which there was only one that was known in the whole world.
“Ah! Not good, not good!” The Death Spirit screamed and flew up to the top of the massive hole.
Ezekiel tried to follow after it but hit his nose on a barrier that had formed over top of it.
“What the hell!?”
He focused on his nose, not expecting the pain that suddenly flared in his face. However, there wasn’t any damage that he could sense.
“Why did that hurt?” he muttered while rubbing his nose in confusion.
Reaching deeper within himself, he realized that the pain he was feeling wasn’t physical, it was entirely spiritual. Whatever he had hit wasn’t a physical barrier. It was a completely ethereal barrier that had struck his soul directly. The pain was just a reflection brought about by the strange effect.
“I wouldn’t try getting out of there if I were you,” a voice called down from the top of the hole. “Even if you’re the Void Exalt, you can still die, and so long as that is the case, you won’t survive long on this island.”
Turning back to the top of the hole, Ezekiel nearly recoiled in shock.
Standing at the edge of the hole was a humanoid skeleton. One that was covered in shifting miasma; different from the Cruor’s miasma that was an aerosol form of Ichor.
This was a miasma that was filled with the concepts of death and decay.
“Are you the Death Exalt? Is this an island in the Archipelago?” Ezekiel called up, at the figure looking down at him. “What was that strange sensation when I tried to leave the hole? Was it a barrier?”
The skeleton shook its head. “I am indeed, Headron, the Death Exalt, or at least, I am a piece of what is left of him. However, we are not in the Archipelago. Not the one that you know of.”
“Not the...? How can there be another Archipelago? While the islands haven’t all been mapped, it spans the circumference of the southern hemisphere. Where could there be another one?”
By this point, Shine was beginning to wake up from the commotion, though Warren was still asleep. Ezekiel hoped that that didn’t mean that his father’s apparent recovery was failing.
“... It is difficult to answer your question. This part of Eldramir is one that none are aware of. None that are alive, anyway. So the fact that not one, but three, living entities have set foot in this [Domain]”
Ezekiel could hear the emphasis on the skeleton’s words. The slight thrum of power indicating the invoked magic. It was confusing, but it told him that the world they were in was under an elemental effect.
“That doesn’t make any sense. You’re speaking as if we’re in another world entirely, but I can feel the presence of Eldramir. It’s faint, and somewhat muffled, but it’s still there. I can’t imagine that another world would have such an omnipresent feeling to it.”
The skeleton held up a hand to its chin. “The presence of Eldramir... You really are in the upper Steps of the Mythic level. Yet, your soul is so dense... How did you accumulate so many experiences in so little time? With how long you slept, given the age of your soul, it should be incredibly light...”
A chill ran down Ezekiel’s spine. This figure somehow knew that his soul was much older than his body. Not even the Legendary Death Hunters, few as they were, could tell that much from his soul.
“What do you mean by ‘dense,’” he asked, rather than let the skeleton continue pondering. “I thought that all that mattered was growing one’s soul through experiences, time included, in order to develop one’s Chakras. That way they could be opened to grant a person more mana.”
“That is true enough, but growing one’s soul like that would be like inflating a water skin with air. There needs to be substance to the experiences, or else the growth that is achieved will be hollow. Emotional impact is necessary for true growth. That is why you weren’t able to immediately reach Tier four or five when you first awakened in this world.” The skeleton focused on Ezekiel again, and it seemed to glare, the miasma shifting more menacingly, with purpose, rather than floating aimlessly like before. “Do not try to distract me again. I may not be able to defeat you in a straight fight, but so long as you are in this world, you are at my mercy. Only by my [Will] is the aura of death not affecting you.”
Hackles raised thanks to the threat, Ezekiel was about to call out the skeleton, but a ping from Shine distracted him.
‘Where are we?’ was the first thing he heard from his partner.
‘Eldramir, but not... I’m trying to figure things out. For now, we can’t leave this hole.’
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Shine spread out their senses once Ezekiel briefly explained the situation, but it was apparent that they hadn’t sensed anything that he hadn’t.
‘I can feel that there’s space outside this hole, but I can’t sense any sort of life. The rocks here are weird as well. It’s like they’re not really rocks, just meant to be a copy of what rocks are supposed to be... I can’t sense any mana either.’ Shine was beginning to sound worried, and Ezekiel knew why.
Even on the most deserted islands, there was always some mana nearby. Usually of varying types, but mostly Tempest and Cavern. For there to be none at all was strange.
‘I can’t explain it either. I just know that getting out of this hole is a bad idea. I was immediately hit by Death mana when I tried. It didn’t seem like a barrier either, more like belly flopping onto a body of water. A change in the composition of the atmosphere.’
While Ezekiel examined his own observations once more, an ugly picture was beginning to take shape in his mind. One that he was keeping from Shine, at least until he could get it confirmed.
He looked back up at the skeleton at the top of the hole. It was gazing down at them all with a dispassionate gaze. The black, smoky miasma that wafted around it seemed to have settled and was drifting about much more slowly than before.
“Your Spirit is awake, good. That will make things easier for you when you eventually leave.” The skeleton turned to walk away, but Ezekiel still needed more answers.
“Wait! Please, tell us where exactly we are! You seem to want to be rid of us, but we don’t even know if we can leave. The method that we used to get here was a dangerous risk, and without any reference, it might be impossible for us to return. Any additional information would be helpful.”
The skeleton paused, its head tilted to the side, as if it was listening in on something, before it turned back to Ezekiel. He nearly recoiled when he saw a glint of indigo light in its eyes. His [Danger Sense] flared for the first time he awoke, and he felt a hint of madness in the skeleton.
“To put this simply, you are on the reverse side of Eldramir. If the world you knew before coming here was the physical world, where living beings, those made of mana or otherwise, resided, then this is the spiritual world, where only souls exist. Death is all that pervades this world. You three are the only living beings here. Though, for how long that will be is utterly dependent on how long I choose to keep you alive. So, I would suggest making your attempts to get out of here soon. Else I run out of patience.”
The skeleton marched off without another word, while Ezekiel stared at the sky in open mouthed shock. He could also sense through his bond that Shine was in a similar state of befuddlement.
He didn’t want to believe it. The thought of being in some sort of reverse side of Eldramir, one that no one had ever even heard of before, was almost too much for him to take in.
Yet, without any way of getting more information, he would have to take the skeleton’s word as truth. For the time being, at least. Though he would be sure to investigate more when he figured out how.
‘We’re not getting home any time soon, are we?’ Shine kept their words internalized, so as to attempt to keep the skeleton unaware of their conversation. However, Ezekiel felt that, if it was still here, the skeleton would’ve heard their internal speech, nonetheless.
Its ability to read souls was just so great that he couldn’t imagine that an internal conversation between two souls would be beyond its view. He also wondered just how strong this Deathly being was. It must’ve been at least peak Mythic, just like him, but with his senses muddled beyond the hole they were trapped in, Ezekiel couldn’t be sure. The thing might just be a nascent Ancient for all he knew.
That, however, was another thing he could put aside until later.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Ezekiel replied to Shine before sitting down and focusing on entering a meditative state. “For now, let’s just make sure we’re fully recovered. Then we can work on getting out of here. If we could get in, then getting out must be possible as well.”
With a sense of agreement, Shine followed Ezekiel’s lead, and the two Void users were surrounded by a [Domain] that let them focus just a little bit better than before.
They also calmed their rising nerves and let the building panic flow through and out of themselves. Their minds both grew clearer as they narrowed in on the tasks at hand.
It wasn’t enough to grant them any additional insights on the strange reverse side of the world that they had found themselves in, but they could both feel their senses spreading further away and digging deeper into the layers of space and time.
It wouldn’t happen right away, but Ezekiel could tell that they would make it home. He just hoped that it would happen in time to keep the world from falling apart any more than it already had.
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Within the camp of Hunters gathered by Wolken, the Hunters had begun to grow restless. Answers regarding the cracks in the sky had yet to come in, and the overall state of the world wasn’t a good one. Word had begun to spread, both within and beyond the camp, of Ezekiel’s action.
The panic and outcries in the different cities were frustrating for many to hear. Even Wolken, who had returned from his scouting of the cracked sky hours ago, well after nightfall. Only to find that no word from Riley and Brun had gotten back to them.
Not that he had anything to report. Even as a Tempest Hunter, Mythical at that, he was unable to reach the cracks in the sky. It was as if the closer he got to them, the longer it took to fly higher.
Plus, when he had tried to touch them with his mana, a blinding light had nearly thrown him from his Spirit’s back.
He had only tried once more, with the same result, before deciding to return and get what updates that he could from the Mages and Scholars that were working on communicating with the towns and cities in Quintessa.
“Do we know what’s happening in the capital? Are there any updates from the Scholars there?” Wolken asked one of the Scholars that had joined him several months back.
The opalescent lining on his robes denoted his status as a Void Mage. Something that, while rare, was unexpected for many that were not a part of the Prime Guild.
“Unfortunately, not, Exalt. It seems like the capital is completely quiet, and the only messages we’re currently receiving are the panicked requests for information originating from the various towns and cities scattered throughout the nation.” The Void Mage clenched his teeth after explaining the situation.
Wolken noticed the man’s narrowed eyes and tensed demeanor.
“Is something wrong? I do hope that you aren’t regretting your oaths so far.” He hadn’t liked it, but it was ultimately for their own safety that the Void Mages of the world made the oaths that had been arranged by the Church of Ten’s Temple of the Void Cathedral.
Neither Wolken, nor any of the Void Mages in his forces, thought that it was a bad idea, since it would prevent them from being able to fulfill the Broods’ wishes to have them release the seals. It would be incredibly concerning if the Void users in his employ were to begin having second thoughts now.
Fortunately, that did not appear to be the case, and the Void Mage Scholar shook his head.
“I’m not regretting any of my actions. Just the fact that we continue to get beaten down for sour abilities,” he said with a frown and a tired sigh. “Ezekiel, from what I’ve gathered, is one step away from obtaining the same status as the most powerful beings to have ever lived in this world, and has never shown himself to be an enemy of humanity, or the Spirits. Yet, because he is powerful, he is dangerous, and we, the other Void users, are considered the same by association. It’s just... things have been going so well, but word has spread that the Void hunts have begun again...”
An angry snarl escaped from Wolken’s mouth. “What!? Who would dare to do such a thing? Is the Church of Ten not stopping such actions? They know just as well as we do that Void Mages have proven to be a necessary component in the current society!”
The Tempest Exalt’s mind raced, and thoughts of the last time he had to put down people for going after innocent Void Mages passed through his mind. It hadn’t been since before the start of the current war that such actions had taken place, and they had almost all been Cultists or their supporters that committed them.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. I just know that a group had to be put down in one of the towns on the coast.” The Scholar shook his head. “I only heard this because it’s actually my hometown. My brother, who’s also a Scholar of the Church, managed to get some time with a Com-Slate that was connected to one here in camp. He wanted to check and see if I was alright.”
“The coast? Do we know if the Deep Brood is acting up? Until we get word from Brun and Riley, I wouldn’t discount the possibility that the Cruor are somehow threatened and sowing discontent in human towns again. Though, the possibility of them having success in Quintessa is troubling.”
The Void Scholar turned pale, and his jaw opened in shock. “I hadn’t thought of that. Excuse me! I must check with my brother. Perhaps there are some signs that I can connect together now that I’m aware of the possibility.”
“Go and tell the other Scholars working with communications to check the same things in the towns and cities they can reach.” Wolken’s command received a salute in response before the Scholar rushed out of the tent as a sprint.
With a sigh, he reached into his Void Pouch, taking out a bottle of liquor and a tumbler before pouring himself a drink. There was a rumble in the earth as he tried to take a sip, and he cursed Kork in his mind, but hurried out of his tent and readied for battle.
The Mythical Cavern Spirit wouldn’t have made such a ruckus if it wasn’t for something important.
“Ancients help us...” he muttered once he’d gotten to the edge of the camp.
Being carried in on a slab of stone, Riley was bloodied and bruised, with several new scars that had clearly been cauterized in the midst of battle. Yet she was still upright and was holding onto a spasming Tempest Spirit that was leaking mana and missing his tail.
Both were covered in Ichor that steamed and bubbled from an unseen heat, but refused to disappear. Disturbingly warped faces seemed to be crying out in pain within the reflective ooze.
“Life and Death Mages get here now! Glacials as well. We need to get them purified right this moment!” Wolken’s cry filled the entirety of the camp, and dozens of figures took to the sky to reach them as fast as they could.
Upon seeing the state of the Mythical beings, they immediately began working on healing them as best they could. Something that Wolken could only hope would be enough.
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As injured as she was, Riley was still to maintain her consciousness while she and Brun were treated for their Ichor Corruption. It wasn’t easy, and Celia had suffered as well, but while their burns were being treated, Riley was still able to give their report.
“It was different... I’ve interacted with the Chaos Broodlord before, and this was very different...” Memories of her time in captivity were at the forefront of her mind. “However, during captivity, neither me nor the others were truly harmed. We were kept unwell; at the brink of collapse for the most part, but not permitted to mutate, or die. I met all the Broodlords at some point or another. Each one wanting to see me and the others, as if we were animals in a cage meant to be gawked at for amusement.”
She shivered, and the healers that were working on her worked to calm her down, but their faces were painted with fear and horror at her experiences.
Wolken remained quiet, standing in the corner and looking away, out of respect for his younger peer and her state of recovery. Stripped down as she was, and covered in burns of her own making, she was thankful for the semi-privacy she was being granted.
Having healers being the only ones to look upon her in this state was much more comforting. Especially with the tears that streamed down her face.
“I can confirm that the seal was closed. They raged at us enough to indicate as much. But something else has changed. We couldn’t learn anything about the cracks in the sky, since the miasma that covers the Desolate Lands means that they don’t actually know that they appeared.” She started shaking once again, and this time had to be pinned down while black and smoking oil was purged from her body. It took several seconds for her to recover, and even then, she was still in a daze.
“Riley... I need to know more. How did this happen to you? I thought the oaths you spoke of before meant that the Cruor couldn’t hurt you.” Wolken’s question brought her attention back to him, and she started shivering again. This time from fear, not pain.
“The oath... only covers the ‘forces of the Broods,’ which, at a stretch, can be considered separate from the Broods themselves...” The faces of every person in the medical tent went pale. Each one was among the top of their peers when it came to their abilities. It was simple for them to understand what she meant.
“I thought you said that the seal was closed!?” Wolken’s outburst nearly cracked the privacy wards that were erected around the tent. “Did Ezekiel close only after the Brood had gotten out?”
Riley began to hyperventilate, and it was only after one of the Life Mages went to Wolken and placed a hand on his shoulder that his mana settled down. Additional help was needed to keep Riley calm, but she eventually managed to reply.
“He said... that it was a shame that he had to inhabit this vessel... I think that it’s like the [Blessings] from the Cult. Where the so-called Radiant Lord’s [Will], directed them and their actions.” A grim, yet determined look spread across Riley’s face, even though her hand trembled, and tears still ran down her cheeks. “Brun also said, before he fell, that the enemy was not at Tier six. It’s just that he was teamed up on by all of them, after the Radiant Chaos took me down first. It was all I could do to burn out the Ichor he nearly drowned me in, and then, Brun used a spell to make us move rapidly, even when his tail had been grasped, getting us out of there, far enough for me to fly us the rest of the way. But they were going somewhere. I think they were headed to the other seals, but I don’t think they can unlock them. If they could, then they would’ve used this option earlier.”
The tent fell quiet once again. The only noises made were the shifting fabric of the medics’ clothing as they fidgeted nervously. Other than that, everyone was focused entirely on their current tasks. Brun, in a separate corner of the large tent, twitched, which brought a relieved sigh to one of the Life Mages treating him. That was enough to break the tense atmosphere.
“We need to pull back. At this point, we’re outnumbered, and there is no point in pushing forward. Better to head south, to the coast, and get reinforcements from the other Mythical beings. It is time for the final push against the Cruor.” Wolken’s grim words sent chills up Riley’s spine.
The wide eyes of the other Mages told her that they were similarly afraid. However, she knew that Wolken was right. Preparations needed to be made.
Especially since there was still no word of Ezekiel’s whereabouts.