Ezekiel was silent as he gazed upon the enormous figure that was the Ancient Void.
There were so many things he wanted to ask. He could remember being told to save the world, but how was he supposed to do that?
He had barely managed to come up with a method of Void Cultivation. Worse yet, it was only barely effective. Most adults, let alone children, wouldn’t have the mental focus necessary for using his methods.
What was he supposed to do? What happened to his friends? Would it be possible to go home? What were the origins of the Cruor? How did he stop the Broods? How could he get stronger? Why was Void mana so different?
What was the danger that he needed to save the world from?
“I cannot answer all of your questions. As much as it may seem like it, I am not omnipotent, nor omniscient.”
Ezekiel’s mind froze up for a moment. He knew he hadn’t vocalized his thoughts, but did that matter? It wasn’t like they were necessarily in the real world right now.
Not only that, but it seemed like this figure was more talkative than the Ancient Void he had interacted with before. Also smaller, and less beyond all comprehension.
“Indeed. We are currently within a subspace where your soul is directly communicating with myself. Or, rather, the remnant of myself that I have attached to the Core of this Temple.”
“The remnant of yourself?”
Ezekiel was confused. Was this not the same Ancient Void that had brought him to this world?
“Indeed. I am not the full Ancient Void. Nor was it the full Ancient Void that brought you here. All aspects of the Ancient Void that you will find on this world are but remnants that hold the Void’s Will within them. Yet the Void is endless, and space and time are meaningless within it, so we remnants can communicate with one another, to an extent.”
The space around them swirled for a moment as the stars and planets surrounding them shifted until two planets, both with familiar landscapes appeared before Ezekiel’s vision. One of them was Earth, the other was Eldramir.
“For example, worlds in which mana and life exist can cause disruptions that can warp the magic within the void, preventing communication with remnants that have arrived on other worlds. Sometime in the distant past of your home world, a remnant of the Ancient Void landed upon it. Then, one day, it resonated with you, sending your soul to this world, and upon your entry into this world, we remnants became aware of your presence due to the energy that was used to send you here.”
“... How long did it take for me to get here?”
The remnant of the Ancient Void in front of him paused for a moment, as if to think about its answer. A Line appeared that connected the two worlds, Earth, and his new home.
“According to the energy that was released upon your entry into this world, as well as the information that was conveyed by that remnant’s Will, your soul spent roughly ten thousand, five hundred, and nineteen of your Earth’s years in transit between your previous world and this one.”
Ezekiel felt like he wanted to throw up. If it had really been that long, then everyone he knew would long be dead by now.
Society as he knew it hadn’t even been around that long, so as far as he knew, humanity had already wiped itself out in the time since he’d died.
“...Wait... How is that possible? From what I understand, the history of this world is only a few thousand years old. How could I have been sent here, before the Ancient Spirits left this world?”
In front of him, the world he now called home grew in size as the Earth disappeared. A bubble then formed around it, acting like a shield that directly things like meteor, and strange eldritch creatures that tried to attack it.
“That is because this World is protected by a shield created by the Ancient Void when those you call the Ancient Spirits left this world. This shield warps the Void surrounding this World, causing time and space to flow in a way that is not in line with the rest of the cosmos. For Eldramir, a little over five thousand years had passed, but for the worlds beyond it, nearly fifty thousand years have passed since the Ancients left.”
Ezekiel realized that such a phenomenon would make sense, as he knew that the Relic he’d found on earth was old, older than what he knew of his current World’s history.
“If the Void can do such things, then does that mean I’m not the first to be sent here?”
“Correct. There have been many hundreds of souls, from many hundreds of worlds, that were sent here before you, since the time that the Ancients left this World. Yet most either died because of ill intentions towards Void Mages, or due to being unprepared when connecting with Void Relics. Unlike with other types of mana, Void mana is controlled directly with one’s soul, not just their Will or Spirit, and then fueled by their mana.”
“I guess that means only Void souls can make the journey to this World as well.”
Ezekiel figured that if anyone else had managed to make it to this world, then that would mean that they would’ve had to be at least somewhat similar to him, and if there were a lot that were killed for being Void Mages like he was, then it would make sense that having a Void affinity was the cause.
“Are there any others like me in this world right now? Is there any way that I can contact them?”
The thought of not being alone as a spiritual transmigrator brought some joy to Ezekiel. Maybe he’d have someone else that could help him figure out how to grow stronger as a Void Mage.
“Yes, to the former, and no to the latter.”
“Why can’t I contact them? They might be able to help me with whatever it is you want me to save the world from!”
If he could have, Ezekiel would have been screaming at this point.
“They are one of the things that you must save the world from.”
The Void remnant’s reply brought him up short.
“You mean that he’s a Cruor?”
“One of the three original Broodlords still remaining since the first seal upon the Ancient Broods was broken roughly four hundred years ago.”
“Was he also supposed to save the world?”
“All who were brought to Eldramir by the remnants of the Ancient Void were tasked with saving the World, but none have come close to doing so.”
“Well how were we meant to do so when there’s no way for us to use magic?!”
Ezekiel knew there was nothing he could do in this instance, but after hearing what had been going on, and how one of his enemies was actually someone just like him, he was angry, and wanted nothing more than to punch the Ancient Void in the face.
“Every other Ancient left behind legacies, and taught humanity how to use their elements. Every last one of them, except the Ancient Void! Yet we are given these enormous expectations. Why?!”
The remnant of the Void fell quite once again for a time before answering.
“Can you describe color to one who is born blind?”
“What?”
“The Ancients were born with the innate ability to manipulate their elements on an instinctual level. Teaching humanity to use their elements was the most difficult task they had after the Broods were sealed. Yet, regardless of this, they could at least show humanity with physical representations of what their magic did. Thus, humanity was able to replicate it through trial and error. The Void is not a physically manifested form of magic. Rather, it is the forces that either influence, or are influenced by, the material world. Physics, as you would call it. Knowledge of which is not prevalent in this world.”
The planet of Eldramir disappeared from in front of Ezekiel, replaced by the images of a Newton's cradle and the centrifugal compressor.
“These images worked due to them being a representation of a physical device that can influence the physical realm but influenced the ethereal due to them being imagined and tied to your mana. The reason the grander images of galaxies and planetary orbits did not work, is because you simply do not have a high enough understanding regarding the mechanics of the forces that are involved in such a grand scale. Can you describe, in detail, the exact methods and working aspects of gravity?”
Ezekiel was silent. Physics was not his focus of study, let alone the apparent astrophysics and cosmic forces that were apparently necessary for truly utilizing Void Mana and magic.
Only now was he really getting how well he lucked out when it came to the techniques he’d created to gather and use his Void Mana.
“This restriction was in fact one of the things that the Ancient Void wished to acquire when they sent out their remnants. Knowledge from other worlds, older than Eldramir, so as to aid humanity in developing its connection to the Void. Few, if any, had the knowledge you have. Likely because they also come from worlds of magic, and cultivation. Yet, due to the restrictions and rules that govern the magic of this world, it was impossible for them to adapt to a means that differed from their origins.”
“Then it’s impossible for me to get stronger, isn’t it? I mean, maybe I’ll get to Tier three, in a couple of decades at best, but there’s no way I’ll break through to Tier four without a Spirit, and there aren’t any Void Spirits that exist, so what the hell!?”
The remnant was silent once more.
“There is a possible way for you to grow stronger, and for you to comprehend the Void without the scientific understanding that you are currently lacking when it comes to the cosmic forces. However, using it will possibly destroy you, as it has countless others before you.”
“If you think that it will kill me, then why offer it?”
“Because out of all the souls from other worlds, and of all the Void Mages that have connected with Void Relics in the past, only your soul has opened its first Chakra naturally, and both undergone and healed from the stresses that were involved. All before you used mana crystals to break through, and their souls were significantly weaker due to a lack of pressure to grow from.”
“But that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to survive, and your soul will once again be damaged, even if you do.”
Ezekiel didn’t answer for a minute. Thinking about the pros and cons, as well as the chances of him dying. Something that he really didn’t want to risk right now.
“What exactly is it you would be doing?”
“I will be aiding you in creating a Void Spirit. Doing so would not only help you grow stronger, as you would be what your people call a Hunter, but it would also grant you new and more powerful spells and abilities with your Void Magic as it grows stronger, as a Spirit’s innate understanding and control of its given element grows as it does. Allowing you to symbiotically grow stronger as your Spirit does.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The remnant’s explanation was surprising, as he was fully under the impression that it was only the Ancient Void that could artificially create entirely new Spirits from scratch.
From what he understood, from his studies and experiences, Spirits only formed if at least a hundred motes of Mana of a given type accumulated in nature for a long enough time for them to gain consciousness.
This was a process that was put into action for the first time by the Ancient Void, and it was utterly impossible to replicate, as mana that was manipulated by a Mage was infused with a Mage’s will and mind, thus it wasn’t able to form a separate consciousness.
In the wild, Spirits of a high enough Tier could separate their consciousness from their mana by causing a clash between their consciousness and another Spirit’s consciousness by mixing equal parts of their mana together. This would create a new Spirit from the fusion of mana.
The cost of this was a permanent loss of the mana used in the “natural” creation of this new Spirit. Which, for wild Spirits, was something that often took a very long time to regain.
It was assumed that, since the Souls of Spirits were intrinsically different from Human Souls, that this was just one more thing that made Spirits and Humans so different.
“How will this Void Spirit be created?”
“You will need to rip off a piece of your soul and infuse it with at least one hundred motes of Void Mana. Similar to how the Ancient Void created the countless remnants of themself which were cast into the cosmos, or that remain here to this day.”
As the remnant said this, Ezekiel felt his mana refill to the max, bringing him back up to four hundred motes of mana.
But even the surprise of having his mana instantly refilled didn’t stop the fear he felt at the remnant’s description of what needed to be done.
If he was in his physical body, Ezekiel would’ve certainly broken out into a cold sweat at the thought of literally ripping off a piece of his soul.
He’d read enough novels in his past life to know that doing so was a bad idea.
“It will not be like those novels from your past life. In this instance, your Void Mana will easily be able to heal the damage, but only so long as you survive the initial split. The reason you couldn’t use your mana the last time you damaged your soul was because you subconsciously believed that doing so would further damage you. So long as you are willing to drop a Step in your Tier for any mana used to heal yourself, this will not be the case.”
The remnant’s explanation comforted him somewhat, but he was still nervous.
“Is it possible for me to do this later? I... have an obligation to someone, and if I die, then they will most certainly follow in my footsteps.”
“You mean Gerome, the man who is bound by a covenant to ensure that you stay alive? If you are truly worried about him, I might have a solution.”
The amulet that Lina had given him appeared within the Void.
“Given that you are currently within the Void Core, I can manipulate how long it will take for your potential death to register with the covenant that binds Gerome. Then, by using this amulet, we can ensure that your physical body does not die, regardless of the damage done to your soul. This will greatly increase the chances of your survival, as well as trick the covenant into believing you are still safe.”
“How much will this increase my chances of survival?”
“Your chances will go from thirty percent to fifty percent.”
Ezekiel didn’t like those odds, as he was just about to refuse when another thought occurred to him.
He’d been so caught up in asking these questions, and listening to the remnant Void speak, that he’d failed to bring up why he was here in the first place.
“Do not panic, Ezekiel, I have already taken care of the Void Locks. They have been greatly reinforced, and unless a Tier four uses a full Step of their mana to break it, there will not be a failure in the enchantments. The remaining Void Locks will be fine, even if the possessed fool manages to set off those bombs. That particular Void Lock has been reinforced. His Relics will not be strong enough to break the Lock.”
Once again, the remnant of the Ancient Void had read his mind, and partially put him at ease.
He started to think that perhaps he should consider taking the risk.
“Is it possible for me to split my soul, and create a Void Spirit on my own? After I have returned home from this Temple? Or for me to come back here later on, and do it then?”
“The first is possible, though I would put your chances of survival at less than ten percent, and the second is not.”
“Why is that?”
“I am stronger than you. I also have an innate control over Void Magic that you do not. As such, I can more accurately split your soul while causing the minimum amount of damage that is needed. The second is impossible, as I will no longer be here after you leave.”
“Why not?” Ezekiel was confused. As far as he knew, it wasn’t like the Void Core could leave.
“After you are gone, or if the Void Locks are broken, I will be igniting the mana within me, and destroying what remains of the ruins of Senera, taking out all the Cruor still sealed inside this Temple, as well as however many might be attracted to Senera when the mana is released. This is in line with the Ancient Void’s instruction to ensure that the Cruor do not gain dominance in the world, and to ensure that the Brood do not obtain any remnants. Now, what is your choice?”
Ezekiel was silent as he pondered his choices and his chances. Knowing what the consequences of not going through with it here and now made him realize just how serious a choice this was.
There was likely no way that he’d be able to make a Void Spirit unless he made his way to Quintessa and managed to access the Void Core within.
Looking at the image of the amulet Lina had given him; Ezekiel made his choice.
“Sorry Gerome. If this fails, I hope you and the rest can get away in time.”
Ezekiel turned towards the remnant of the Void in front of him. He held his arms out in welcome for whatever it was that was going to come next.
“Very well then. As this Spirit will need a physical form, I shall be tying it to your sword, as it is the most suitable vessel for now. Should a better vessel appear in the future, it will be possible to transfer it to said vessel, but as the Spirit grows stronger, so will the vessel. So, this should not be a matter of worry.”
The sword that had been given to him by Trent appeared in front of him.
“This first step must be yours. Take the blade and stab it into your heart. I shall take over from there.”
Grabbing the blade that was floating in front of him, Ezekiel raised it horizontally, so the point was facing towards him. Grasping it by the blade, as it was too long to grab hold of the handle, he pulled the sword toward him.
A sharp pain cut through his chest as his heart was pierced.
What followed next was a cool numbing sensation as his mana, and the Void mana surrounding him drifted towards his wound.
Time seemed to pass both incredibly quickly and incredibly slowly.
Ezekiel couldn’t tell how long the sword remained pierced into his heart.
It felt like moments. It felt like months.
A hand made of stars grasped the hilt of the blade and pulled.
Ezekiel let out a silent scream as his world was filled with pain.
Every nerve, every cell, every aspect of his being was filled with pain.
It was as if his soul had been lit on fire, and as the remnant pulled out the sword, the pain grew worse. It was as if he was being pulled in all directions at once, until slowly, he couldn’t hold out anymore.
There was a silent snap as the blade was pulled from his chest.
The pain stopped, but Ezekiel didn’t realize this.
His image had closed its eyes.
Cracks had appeared all throughout his soul.
It was as if his mind was drifting away.
He felt disconnected from his thoughts, his emotions, his mana.
Nothing seemed to matter anymore, as he felt himself slowly unwinding.
His soul was coming apart.
The image of his form within the Void was fading away.
It was almost transparent at this point.
A second hand appeared within the Void.
It grabbed hold of the amulet and thrust it into the hole that was left behind by the sword.
A bright green light appeared from the amulet.
A swirling of stars followed as the remnant directed its own mana into the amulet, strengthening its magic by an untold magnitude.
Ezekiel’s form started to regain its color.
The cracks in his soul were slowly closing.
By the time the light dissipated, the cracks in Ezekiel’s soul were nothing more than miniscule lines barely as wide as a hair that crisscrossed all along his body.
The sound of shattering glass could be heard as the amulet broke from being used.
He slowly opened his eyes. A constant ache could be felt in every inch of his “body” as he continued to float in the Void.
The remnant in front of him seemed to look down at him as the sword with his mana floated in front of him.
The Runes and enchantments that it previously had were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a series of spiraling circles and countless ripple patterns spread across the flat sides of the blade. The color had also changed from the originally metallic steel to an opalescent shine.
“You have survived. Good. Your Spirit is beginning to form as well. But be warned. Until it gains consciousness, you cannot channel mana through this blade. It shouldn’t take more than a month for the Spirit’s consciousness to form, so be wary. If your Will comes into contact with the Spirit’s nascent consciousness, then the Spirit will collapse, and the pain you have suffered will have been for nothing.”
“Understood.” Ezekiel’s response was weak and tired.
He was barely able to piece together a coherent answer as he tried to speak to the remnant.
“Unfortunately, you will not be able to remain here for any longer. I will need to send you out as soon as possible.”
“What? Why?”
An image appeared in front of Ezekiel. It was of the cavern that he had entered the First Void Lock from.
Gerome and several dozen more Guild members, including the Tier four from the Roaring Ruins Guild, were all walking into the chamber with the Void Lock.
They appeared frozen in time, but as he looked closer, Ezekiel could tell that they were actually moving incredibly slowly.
“Crap.”
Ezekiel immediately knew what was going on. Gerome was coming to break the Void Lock to get him out. However, given what had happened, he probably wasn’t going to be gentle about it.
If he used his full power to break the lock open, it would release the Rot, and allow them to overrun the Ruins.
The Void remnant didn’t want that to happen and had already stated that it was going to blow up the Ruins as soon as Ezekiel got far enough away.
“Can you send me out there?”
“No. I can only send you to a place that is sealed by at least two Void Locks, as those areas are considered as within the Void. Worse yet, while I have no doubts that your friends will be able to take care of the Rot within my Temple, I am just as certain that some will be able to escape as well. The Rot cannot be allowed to run rampant in this area. Not again!”
Although he didn’t think that it was the best way to do things, Ezekiel felt that he couldn’t disagree with the remnant’s wishes.
He also agreed that any Cruor that was despised by both humanity and the other Broods was something that they shouldn’t take any chances with.
“Can you let me out near the entrance, but on the inside?”
“...Yes, but that has its own problems.”
Another image appeared in front of Ezekiel. Aldor had returned to the first Void Lock, and he had used a Relic that Ezekiel hadn’t seen before to barricade the Lock from the inside.
It wouldn’t be much trouble to Gerome or Trissy, but since he wasn’t sure what kind of Relic it was, Ezekiel didn’t want to take any risks. Especially since he was going to have to get past it in order to open the Void Lock safely.
“I can’t fight him.”
Not even when he was at his best would Ezekiel have been able to fight Aldor.
In his current condition, having fallen to Step three, and lost his weapon for at least a month, there was no chance that he’d be able to fight Aldor and survive. Let alone win.
Suddenly, several dozens of familiar crystals appeared in front of Ezekiel.
“Use these. Raise your Tier to the maximum, but do not attempt to break through to Tier two. Your soul is still healing, and it is only because I am holding you together that I will provide you with the means to grow stronger. In the future, you will have to grow on your own.”
“Thank you.”
“Do not thank me yet. In order for your damaged soul to withstand the pressure of taking in so much mana before it is fully healed, any mana you absorb will constantly leak out, until you fall back down to Step three. I will send you out there, but you will need to finish the possessed child off as soon as possible, else you die by his blade.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
The remnant fell silent as it tried to recall something. Ezekiel didn’t say anything, having grown used to this.
Another image appeared in front of him. This time it was an outline of two human beings.
“There is a technique you can use that might work. It is one of the few that were created by one of the mortals whose souls were sent here roughly two hundred and thirty years ago. It can only be done by Tier one Void Mages or higher, and only works on Mages that aren’t more than a Tier higher than themselves.”
Ezekiel saw one of the figures focus their mana into their fist, striking forward and punching directly into the other figure's lower torso.
This was the Core where mana was directed and stored when being accumulated within the body and not used.
He then saw the first figure push all of the mana that had gathered in their fist transfer from their fist into the other figure’s core.
The mana within the second figure immediately grew in strength, causing it to go out of control, and destroy the second figure from the inside out.
“Those with significantly more mana than you will not be affected by this technique, as the amount of mana within them that you affect will be miniscule, but if you focus take all the mana you have inside you, and hit him with one powerful attack, straight to his Core, you will be able to defeat him.”
Ezekiel didn’t say anything. He just grabbed the mana crystals and started absorbing them. Ignoring the painful pressure and the sensation of mana leaking from his soul.
As he reached full capacity, Ezekiel held several more crystals in his hands, continuing to absorb them as he continued to leak mana.
“I’m ready.”
“Good. I know not all your answers were answered today, but I hope you can grow strong enough to find them. Search for the other Temples. I know their Cores are still intact, though not all may be accessible to you. If possible, make your way to Quintessa. You should be able to get the rest of your answers there.”
Ezekiel nodded his head as he readied himself for a final fight between himself and Aldor.
A hole appeared in the Void in front of him. He saw Aldor facing away from himself.
Charging forward, mana in hand, Ezekiel leapt through the portal.