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Tale of Eldramir
CH 325 (Book 8 Ch 35): The End of a Path

CH 325 (Book 8 Ch 35): The End of a Path

Overwhelming joy and a feeling of exaltation filled Radiant Chaos as they gazed into the distance. They didn’t even bother with paying attention to Ezekiel and his Spirit, nor did they bother with the other lesser beings that drifted through the air above them.

“This is it! This is the end of the betrayer, and the corruption of your wretched outer species...” Their form rippled and shifted. No longer did their shape retain any sort of construct that they had chosen to create.

Mere minutes had passed since the Herald of the Void had fled, and nothing he could do could stop the Broodmaster from joining with the pieces of himself that had destroyed the will and form of his brethren.

Now, all that they had to do was wait for their final ascendency. The sheer power that would soon be theirs to use to wipe out all the lesser beings that infested was just about to be within their reach.

Then the sky changed colors. The stars changed, and while they didn’t know it, the presence that spread throughout the world, felt by all but not known or recognized by any besides themself, flooded over everything, and in an instant their soul shook with fear for the first time in over a millennia.

“Eldramir? No... No, it can’t be you! You left! You betrayed and abandoned us!”

Their screams and cries spread throughout the region, but nothing mattered. Their words were not heard, and an unknown force pulled them into the air.

In the distance, the flood of Ichor that was meant to be their new power also flew into the sky.

Every bit of essence relating to the Cruor and the Broods was ripped out of the world and pulled into the sky. What was once a land that was still mostly covered in miasma, was now completely clear and open to the sky.

Up above, at the very edge of the atmosphere, a figure loomed over them. An armored Titan that seemed to hold the world in its hands. One that was so familiar, but different as well.

Yet, even with those differences, there was no mistaking just what Radiant Chaos was seeing.

“Ezekiel!”

The quiet exclamation was left unheard as they entered a Void where nothing seemed to be able to escape. There wasn’t even any air for their words to travel through, but they knew, as they began ranting and raving in denial and fear, they knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Grand being above them could hear their every word.

After all, what god wouldn’t be aware of the beings that held their utmost attention?

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The shift was sudden and obvious. In one moment there was a massive sea of gold that filled everyone's vision across the entirety of the horizon, and the next, it was gone.

Streaks in the ground indicated that the Ichor had been pulled away, directly toward the center of the Desolate Lands. The area where Ezekiel was fighting.

Riley had seen the flicker of light that indicated a spell being cast, but hadn’t actually witnessed what she was seeing. It was as if something had happened too fast for her, or anyone else, to notice.

“It’s him,” she whispered, “it’s Ezekiel. He’s won!”

There was a flurry of motion that spread through the now motionless battlefield.

Everyone that had been fighting was confused, but those that were close by were able to hear Riley’s words without too much issue. All of them, without exception, broke into tears of joy, even though there was no proof to back up her words.

The battle was over, and the Ichor that was slowly growing to consume everything was no longer there. Damage from its growth and passing still remained, but the Ichor itself was gone.

“What are you all standing around for!?” Wolken’s ragged voice cut through the spreading cheer that was finding its way through the ranks of the Hunters and Mages. “We still have a destination to get to, and a hero to properly greet!”

Riley and the others all snapped to attention. She whipped her head around from where she was keeping watch over the twins. Her eye met Wolken’s, and after a moment of thought, it seemed like he understood what she wanted, because he nodded and waved at her in the direction of where Ezekiel was supposed to be.

“Come on, girls, we need to get to your brother and your parents.” She grabbed the twins by the back of their Spirit Armor and turned into a streak of azure flames.

Upon getting further and further away from the battlefield, she realized the full extent of the damage that Radiant Chaos had done.

Well beyond what she could see with her eyes, the land had been scoured and sunken as it was literally eaten away by the Ichor that had consumed it for food and fuel. That alone was terrifying, since it meant that it would be impossible for anything to have survived if the Broodmaster had one.

It was only a few minutes later, however, when she saw something that made her heart nearly stop. For above a massive crater, one that smoked and sprayed molten rock from the depths of the world, was a gigantic golden sphere, hanging in the air, and letting off a dim radiant light.

The only thing that stopped her from turning around and running was the fact that the sphere was held between two even larger hands that swirled with stars, just like the night sky.

Looking even further up, she actually dropped the twins in her shock. At which point they fell a few feet, too stunned by the same sights that she was, only to float under the Spirit's power instead.

“Ezekiel...” Riley muttered in open mouthed awe, “what have you become?”

There was no fear in her voice. Just concern and confusion. To such a point that she didn’t even notice when the familiar figures of Evelyn, Warren, and the remnant of Obscurity that tried to kill her approached from the side.

During this time, the members of Ezekiel’s family gathered together and watched as a son, brother, and husband did something with the remains of Radiant Chaos.

It felt like they stared up at it for hours. The rest of the Hunters, Mages, and assembled Wild Spirits reunited under the enormous sphere of gold.

All to watch as the most powerful being they had ever known, who had surpassed even the Ancients, as far as they were aware continued to work on something that they could not comprehend.

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Apotheosis is a strange and lonely thing. Ezekiel thought as he slowly, to his perspective, gathered Radiant Chaos into a spherical cage of his own flesh and blood. Is this what my father felt once he ascended to Tier six, at the cost of Theo’s life?

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he knew that he could let his mind ponder his new state of existence later. For now, he had to deal with the fact that he was now playing with his greatest enemy, the one who nearly destroyed the world, with the ease that a grown man might trap and carve up a hunted animal.

It was a strange and heady feeling. Like a mixture of disbelief filled with relief and a little bit of happiness at seeing the other’s suffering.

He had seen and heard all of Radiant Chaos’ suffering. Its cries and screams. Asking how this was possible, denying that it was, and demanding answers from him all at once.

It seems that this limited omniscience that I seem to now have comes with its down sides, doesn’t it? He waited, as if expecting a reply, even though he knew that he wouldn’t get one.

While there was no hole in his soul from the loss of his Spirit, and their presence could still be felt, for now, he could feel no bond any longer. There would be no Spirit to talk back to him in his head.

“Focus!” He said to himself.

The Ichor had nearly finished gathering in front of him now. The sphere that had formed was enormous. Being enough to crush one of the larger islands in the Archipelago. It was only a few more moments later, at least in his mind, that the Ichor from all over the world had finished gathering.

“I guess it’s time to finish this then.” A small star burst out from his being. An avatar that was equal to Tier six in strength. Yet far more powerful than he had been at Tier six.

The avatar moved toward the sphere, and like the seas parting, a pathway to the center formed. Drifting downward, the opening behind him closed, and he was soon in the center of the hollow sphere.

Inside, Radiant Chaos floated in a cage that they could not escape from. Their movements were sluggish, and practically nonexistent when compared to the speeds that Ezekiel was moving at.

With a smirk at the thought of what he was about to do, Ezekiel raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A shockwave rolled outward and bounced off the golden walls of the sphere.

Radiant Chaos also rippled, but other than a pained scream there was nothing else.

“What have you done!? What trickery have you used to do this!” The Broodmaster shook but did nothing of any substantial effect. “This is impossible!”

When he heard that, Ezekiel couldn’t help it; he laughed. He laughed a joyous, tired, euphoric laugh that would’ve driven the soul of any who heard it mad if they were not already.

This was something that he knew, subconsciously, had come about because of his elevation to a higher state of being. One that was separated from the standardized [Rules] and [Laws] of the universe.

At least those pertaining to the lower Tiers. The power that was granted to mortal beings.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Is this the universe’s gift for one who has reached this level of existence? He pondered briefly before directing his attention to Radiant Chaos.

“Be Quiet.”

He spoke, and it was so.

Radiant Chaos continued to rant and rave, but no words were heard, even though Ezekiel was aware of what was being conveyed. Something that made him frown, but he decided that this was the time to get back at the being that had brought him so much suffering.

“It must sting to know that you were never going to become this powerful,” he said, and the Broodmaster stilled. “To know that the path you took was one that had a dead end. One with no means of actually progressing to Tier seven. To [Divinity] itself.”

Ezekiel could feel the world shift as he spoke that word. [Divinity] wasn’t something that had an equivalent in the language of Eldramir. It was a concept that hadn’t truly been verbalized before, and as pressure descended upon him from the Spirit of the world itself, he knew why things had developed as they did.

Eldramir itself had prevented such thoughts, such concepts, from taking root in the minds and souls of its inhabitants. So that they were entirely reliant on developing the system of magic that was used by its own creations. That of the Path of Mana, and the Path of Ichor.

“Would you like to see?” A wicked smile bloomed on his face as he thought of an ironic means of destroying Radiant Chaos. One that he never would’ve known before now. “It’s right there... The power you so desperately wish to take into yourself. To push you past the limit of your current power, and into what you, falsely, believe is the power of your creator.”

A bridge of light formed with a wave of his hand. It connected the bubble containing Radiant Chaos to the massive sphere of Ichor that surrounded them.

“Go ahead... I won’t stop you.” Without a word, the silent Broodmaster rushed forward across the bridge with no thought to how this could be a trap. It wasn’t, of course, but Ezekiel still raised an eyebrow at the sight. He had thought that the Broodmaster would’ve at least had some caution when crossing the path that had been made for it.

With a tilt of his head, he lifted the silence he had created around Radiant Chaos.

“Wretched fool! With this, I will--”

A squealing whine filled the space around Ezekiel, and the confident roars of the Broodmaster turned into the pitiful cries of a dying animal. One that was being ripped apart down to the soul itself.

“This is the consequence of what you tried to do,” Ezekiel spoke softly as he watched the golden Ichor that was Radiant Chaos begin to boil and dissolve as it was consumed by the greater whole around it. “Your soul is too weak to command such power without an external anchor to lift you up. Now, your soul is being torn apart as it tries to fill in the spaces within an energy that is so much greater than your own.”

He didn’t look away, though he had to admit that he didn’t feel the relief that he had believed he would when the idea first came to him.

If anything, the sight made him sad, since it reminded him of the sacrifice that Shine had made for him. The one that was the sole reason he was still alive.

“I wonder... What was your [Truth]... Your [Understandings], and your [Rules]... Did you even have any?”

By now, Ezekiel felt the soul of Radiant Chaos shatter and be consumed. Its presence disappeared like ashes being blown in the wind. There was a lingering presence, like the smell of smoke after snuffing out a candle, but that would soon disappear.

Idly reaching out with his senses, he felt the presence of all the Hunters that had gathered to fight, to help him succeed in his final battle. It was unfortunate that their presence did little to distract his enemy, but they had been able to bring his father back, at least as an avatar, which had helped immensely.

However, he knew that he couldn’t speak to them just yet. There were a few things left for him to do. Like wiping out the lingering [Will] that still existed within the ocean of Ichor.

It took more effort that he would’ve been able to bring out had he still been Tier six, but he was eventually able to wipe out the [Will] inside the Ichor. In under a day at that. Yet even though the sun had set and risen, the people outside had merely set up camps to remain close to the now Opalescent sea of Ichor.

“Hah...” He sighed and stretched, his arms raised high. It was a useless action, since this body was no longer constrained by things like muscle stiffness or soreness, but the familiar action was comforting. “I guess that, with the second most problematic issue out of the way, it’s time I address you.”

Unseen by the rest of the world, his avatar looked up to the sky. At the same time his true form, composed of a sea of stars and streams of light, and hidden from the world since it was one with the Void, looked forward to a much larger figure. Though one whose stars shone far less brightly.

“Hello, Eldramir.”

The cloaked figure made of shifting space and a sea of stars and swirling galaxies seemed duller than the first time Ezekiel had seen it, over thirty years ago.

The avatar he created disappeared from within the sphere of Ichor, and the space within was flooded, though the shift went unnoticed since the change was so miniscule.

Now, it was merely a matter of the two titans who existed beyond the realm of mortal kind.

“Ezekiel...” Eldramir, the true one, and not the remnants and avatars sent out into space and left behind to leave messages, sounded tired. So tired that Ezekiel felt a wave of exhaustion the moment the world’s words were spoken. “You are the first I have ever spoken to, who was not of my own creations. Let alone among the same realms of power to myself...”

He didn’t know whether or not he should be proud of that, because he had a constant sense of apprehension while remaining in Eldramir’s presence. Even when he wasn’t speaking to the consciousness of the world itself.

“What happens now? I’ve created a path, technically two, though the body refinement one will take time to further sharpen for others. I’ve also set out what you asked me to do, even though I see that said request was nothing more than a red herring.” That revelation, upon learning that Eldramir wasn’t fully behind humanity, was shocking, but fair, given the origin of mankind on this world. “What more do you want from me? If you’re looking for the power I earned... The power Shine granted me, then you’d better be prepared to enter an even deeper coma.”

Though his threat sounded half hearted, even to his own ears, Ezekiel meant every word he said. While he knew that the full extent of Eldramir’s power, at its peak, outstripped his own by far, the weakened state that the world was in meant that he could cause enough damage to put it down for good, if push came to shove.

“That would bring about the end of your loved ones... We both know that you wouldn’t risk such a thing just to kill me.”

At this, Ezekiel wasn’t certain that the world’s words were true. Not after everything he had been through already. Not if he was going to lose them anyways.

“Regardless, I have only this to say... Leave this world. It can no longer sustain you, and the longer you remain, the more of my power you will drain. I cannot allow this.”

Power flared, and Ezekiel brought his strength to bear. Space shifted, and time stuttered as his [Truth] and [Rules] imposed themselves on the universe.

“If I do that, then what is the point of everything that I have done? Saving you was never my intention, after all.” He readied himself to get in at least one full powered strike, even if it would be his last. “My family and loved ones come first, always. So, why should I simply leave them behind?”

Silence pervaded their space that they inhabited. It seemed to stretch on for eternity, and the only reason Ezekiel didn't strike first was because he knew the consequences would be final.

“Now that you have shown the path, the means to go beyond, who is to say that they will not join you in the world’s beyond?” Eldramir’s words brought Ezekiel up short.

That wasn’t something that had occurred to him. It was true. His family would be able to proceed beyond Tier five, his father already had, which meant that it would be possible for them to reach Tier seven too.

Although, the chances of such would be very low.

“Regardless,” Eldramir continued, and Ezekiel focused on the Spirit once more, “that shall only remain the case for the next one hundred years. I cannot allow the knowledge you have provided to permeate the people too greatly. Otherwise, I will begin to collapse under the weight of their continued growth. Rules will need to be imposed. Limits and restrictions created, as well as consequences for breaking them... It will take a great deal of time before the Paths you have shown me are clear enough for them to be used in a manner that does not lead to my destruction.”

Ezekiel bit his lip to stop himself from speaking. He didn’t like it, but if he took a step back, he knew that Eldramir was right.

The current lack of limitations, and the lack of Cruor to fight and grow their souls, meant that humanity, and possibly the Spirits, would eventually fight themselves for resources, until they finally destroyed themselves reaching for more.

“A hundred years... Do you know how you intend to change things?” Ezekiel might not be opposed to the intention to change the world, but he felt like he deserved to know what would be happening. “If you needed outsiders to create a new path, then who is to say that you will be able to make new rules without aid as well?”

A sigh from the Spirit nearly knocked Ezekiel over, but he stayed strong.

“Before I had no means of developing. Now I do, so as long as those ideas are kept in mind, I now have a baseline that did not exist before. It is not just the mortals that you have provided a Path for.”

There was a shift from Eldramir’s figure. Ezekiel braced himself, but there was no apparent danger, either from his senses, or his instincts.

Instead, his mind was filled with visions of possibilities.

Floating islands inhabited purely by those that were Legendary or above. A dive in powers that kept those of different Tiers among their own. Karma, managed by remnants, would judge and punish those that attacked and killed beings of lower realms.

Broods and Cruor were no longer a thing, but instead, animals of all sorts would be able to cultivate as well. Their bodies now taking in the essence of the world on their own. Though only in places were the density of mana was great enough.

Then, once they reached a great enough physical strength, they would develop their souls and minds more rapidly. While Spirits would be the reverse. They would no longer be created as animalistic figures, and would instead be mostly composed of elements alone. Then they would form physical bodies after growing strong enough.

Two sides seen in nature, with a simpler and easier means of progressing, but due to the rules of nature, survival of the fittest, the conflict would keep them contained, and prevent them from growing too rapidly as a power in the world.

On the other hand, humanity would be able to walk both paths at once, or one at a time. Though the methods to do so would be more difficult than simply taking in mana and condensing it, or letting one’s [Understanding] seamlessly meld with their energy.

Eventually, they would need to develop something along the runic arrays, and use specialized techniques to make progress, but they would gain a broader range of abilities compared to before. Even the ability to use multiple elements, thanks to Ezekiel’s contribution to how elements interact with one another. Something that had existed previously, but was limited to natural phenomena, or grand magic.

Unique abilities tied to techniques, rather than simply manipulating the elements and forming constructs. Though, such methods would be available to those that had reached higher Tiers of power.

“These are but a few of the changes that will be implemented over the centuries. Trial and error will undoubtedly lead to the deaths of millions, if not more, but such is the cost of growth and progress.”

Eldramir’s words sounded callous and uncaring, but Ezekiel knew that they were not entirely incorrect. The greatest advancements that had occurred even among his own life had happened during years when strife and conflict were at their peak.

“... One hundred years... I will leave within a year myself, but you will grant my family a hundred years before you begin implementing the needed changes.” That was Ezekiel’s bottom line. He would need at least one more year, of normal time, to settle things. “I’ll also be bringing back my father from your Spirit Paths. You can deal with whatever remains of the Death Spirits. Perhaps you can even make a specialized [Domain] for the souls of the deceased. Add some spice to the end of their lives.”

Gesturing much like Eldramir had, Ezekiel sent images of ideas of an underworld, or other afterlives, things that he recalled from his past life that hadn’t existed in this one. Possibilities that would continue to add to the growth of the world.

He made no mention of the time that he compressed under his own power.

“...That is fair enough. Go. I must rest, and recover my strength once more. Do not touch the Ichor that you purified. I will be taking it back into myself in preparation for the eventual changes.”

With those final words and warning, Eldramir disappeared from the Void that Ezekiel still inhabited. Below, the world shone brightly, and the massive orb of Ichor that was just within sight disappeared.

It seemed like it evaporated, but he could see billions of tiny [Rifts] appearing, and the Ichor was absorbed into the world’s Spirit Paths in an instant.

Now alone, Ezekiel looked out into the universe. The stars were beautiful, and upon enhancing his vision, he could see the formation of stars occuring in nebulae far away.

As well as the different lines that indicated pathways that ward time and space. Something that he didn’t think many others would have access to.

Looking back at Eldramir, he held out his hands, the miniscule cracks in the [Shroud] that had appeared during his apotheosis were still mending, but his conversation with the world had only taken seconds. At least from the perspective of those below.

“Well... I guess it’s time to wrap things up, and get ready to leave...”

With a sigh, his own figure disappeared from the Void. A wisp of opalescent light lingering for a moment, before disappearing in a flash.