CHAPTER 56: THE VISITOR

Hermes continued to drift in the darkness. Elgacia's voice was the only thing separating him from total sensory isolation.

["Indeed, I am unsure why the people in that small town you ended up in only believe that there are six domains available. The existence of a domain is not as fixed as you believe it to be. This cosmos is an ever evolving entity."]

"What do you mean by that?.."

["It is exactly how I mean it. The domains are simply a reflection of their ethyric realm. Ethyric Realms are not eternal, nor are they constant. Changes spark all the time. For example, the Cyber Depths was born roughly half a million years ago due to a certain incident. It was never there from the very beginning; none of them were."]

"I see... So then, how many domains exist currently?"

["According to my data, the last Universal Epoch Shift occurred roughly 300,436 earth orbits ago. The Bloodbath Basin entered its embryonic form, causing the creation of the War Domain. If we go by this data, 11 domains exist currently. However, because I was locked up inside the moon for so long, changes may have occurred."]

Hermes drifted in the void silently, trying his best to comprehend the information given to him. Adjusting his thoughts, he decided to press on for more answers. However, Elgacia interrupted him.

["It seems our time is almost over. The system behind this trial has identified me as an invader and will initiate an attack on my soul core."]

"I see... I was wondering when it will happen. Your dimensionality is way higher than mine and Elizabeth's. The rules of the trial do not allow such a disruptor. If you continued assisting me, this test would have been the easiest thing in the world..."

["Indeed, however, I cannot assist you even if the system allowed me. I haven't recovered my cosmic force yet. My slumber must continue for another 10 months according to my estimation."]

"Is there a way I can speed up the process?"

["Yes, there is. The stronger you get, the more cosmic force is available to you. I can siphon portions of it daily to help accelerate my recovery. You can also seek out the Ethyric cores inside Stellar Artifacts. If you allow me to absorb them, I will be able to recover much quicker. Tsk, never mind. I forgot you how stingy you are."]

"..." Hermes swam in the abyssal ocean silently.

["What? You think I'm wrong? You do know that I have the ability to peer into all your memories, right?"]

"..."

["Ariana, that poor girl. She had to endure so much to be with you~"]

"Go back to sleep."

["Alright, alright, I was about to anyway... The system is trying very hard to suppress my dimensionality. Just one last thing, make sure to end this ritual quickly, or else you may need to face a certain visitor..."]

Before he had any time to question her, the infinite void encompassing his vision shattered into pieces as light rushed back into his eyes.

"Hermes?! You're' back?"

He rubbed his temples while trying to understand his surroundings. Shifting his neck to the left, he saw the visage of Mason, encased in a layer of blood. Through his blurry vision, he could see how deep his frown was.

"Mason... Where are we?"

"We are still near the flame pillar! I managed to defeat that Xulu behind the ritual, but I cannot stop it without your help! Quick, use [Sensory-Boost] and locate an area inside its lay lines to disrupt the ritual!"

Hermes looked up at the towering, ashen flame, then the visage of a large vortex behind it. Within the center of the vortex's eye, the sphere of malignant aura had managed to grow as large as the battlefield itself. Tentacle like feelers were squirming across its circumference, as if trying to escape from their ethyric prison.

'So this is what Elgacia was warning me about...' He quickly jolted up from the ground as adrenaline coursed through his body rapidly. With a single thought, he activated [Sensory-Boost] and began observing the flame pillar. Lines reminiscent of ink strokes swam across its form. He began to analyze their formation and density using [Augmented-Comprehension].

'Damn it, even though I can see the cosmic force coursing through the ritual, how am I supposed to understand them?!' An idea came to him the moment he asked himself that question. Without wasting a single second, he focused on his cosmic force once more.

'[Lesser-Lexicon]...'

Observing the patterns of cosmic force on the flame pillar, Hermes began to interpret them. Knowledge began to flood his mind; knowledge he had previously been unaware of. Information he had no fundamental understanding of. The formation of cosmic force and the energy balances in the ritual's formula became easily decipherable.

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"I found it." He quickly began pouring his cosmic force into the only vulnerable position in the flame pillar. Suddenly, the connection between him and the ritual grew stronger as his cosmic force forcefully coalesced within the arcane formation. Like a siphon, there was no stopping it now. Tingling pain entered the pores of his skin as he forcefully felt the drainage. It was now a race. Either Hermes runs out of cosmic force and dies, or the ritual gets disrupted first.

"AHHHH!!" The squirming sensation of his skin heightened to another level. It was as if he was being eaten out from inside by a thousand ants, all rushing out of his arms, which were stretched into the flame pillar.

Suddenly, an ocean wave of cosmic force began to enter the ritual's only vulnerability. Hermes' eyes twitched from the pain as he tried to locate the source. On the flame pillar, he detected a second hand that allowed for the entry of a different cosmic force into the formation.

"Mason?!.."

"Kid, focus on the ritual."

Hermes nodded and took a deep breath, exhaling the pain with every ounce of oxygen. The flame pillar began to expand in size from the influx of cosmic force, causing the seven other ashen flames to quiver as the balance within the formation swiftly broke apart.

Above, Hermes noticed the pulsating vortex relenting its chaotic dance. The malevolent orb ceased its cacophony, only to birth unearthly screams that reverberated through the fabric of their souls. A tidal wave of emotions, a maelstrom of fear, encased Hermes once more.

He teetered on the precipice of descending into the abyss of madness. His teeth clenched, Hermes counted the agonizing seconds, each one echoing like a distant funeral bell tolling for sanity.

Abruptly, the piercing wails ceased, leaving behind an oppressive silence that hung in the air like a shroud. The murky atmosphere quivered with ominous anticipation. Hermes raised his eyes, and dread clawed at his heart as the orb of malignant darkness transmogrified into a colossal eyeball, its crimson iris fixated on the puny mortals gazing at its form. The air grew thick. Hermes could no longer breathe normally, as if something was stuck in his throat. His face became placid, betraying the terror that gripped him.

'The visitor...'

Describing 'It' would entail the creation of an entire codex. For 'It' was a being above the realm of rationality. A vessel of insanity had finally descended upon the crimson sands of mars.

The monstrous eyeball blinked, a deliberate, unhurried motion that sent shivers down the spines of those who dared to witness its alien gaze. It scrutinized the scene with an unsettling curiosity, its pulsating iris radiating an otherworldly intensity. In its wake, reality contorted and convulsed, as if the very fabric of space recoiled from its mere existence. Beads of sweat dripped down Mason's trembling chin. He found himself drawn to its amalgamable form. There was beauty in its terror. Nevertheless, the notion itself was terrifying to him.

"Is this the end?" Mason whimpered to himself.

Counting the seconds with heightened urgency, they awaited the impending, morbid embrace of death. In the disarray, the eyeball abruptly shifted its attention from the chaotic battlefield to the direction of the sand dune that Mason had obliterated miles away.

Suddenly, a wave of cosmic force flushed against their bodies. By now, the entire ritual had collapsed as lightning began to spark across the battlefield. The eyeball continued to stare at the distant sand dune as reality itself bent to its will. Surprisingly, the ominous energies clashing against their very astral projections caused little to no damage.

Then, an event unfolded that rendered both Hermes and Mason utterly speechless. In an ephemeral instant, the all-encompassing darkness that shrouded the battlefield and the grotesque entity in the sky vanished. It wasn't a gradual dissolution, but an instantaneous vanishing act. The blink of an eye brought forth blinding light as they found themselves thrust back into the familiar desert landscape. Above, the sun and clouds resumed their customary positions, with only the crimson-orange glow radiating from the distant star marking the inevitable closing of another Martian day.

"..." They stood in silence, gazing at the sky in astonishment. They felt a whirlwind of emotions, but no explanation followed.

...

Tens of miles away from the battlefield, a once beautiful sand dune was now a painting of destruction. Scorched earth spread across the now desolate field as layers of molten glass rapidly cooled from the incoming Martian breeze.

Suddenly, a three-fingered hand emerged from the fractured regolith, its sinuous digits clawing through the Martian soil. With determined grace, the arm orchestrated its escape, gradually unearthing a being of colossal proportions. As the towering figure emerged, standing akin to a giant, it bore an enigmatic presence shrouded by a veil, concealing all discernible features. Its once obsidian black cloak was now covered in crimson sand.

The being dusted itself off and began staring into the distance.

"Interesting... They still managed to disrupt the ritual. That fellow he brought with him... Hermes was his name? I cannot believe he managed to break not only my soul link but also my nightmare spell. There must be something fairly powerful hiding within his body..."

The shrouded figure looked down at the ground. "No matter. I have already achieved my goal. The beholder has offered me 'His' boon. Progressing past the realm of Celestials is now possi- cough, cough!"

He began to hunch over in excruciating pain. The being resisted the allure of falling to his knees as he tried his best to resist the sensations emanating from his very soul.

"It seems I must hide myself for a while once more... The disruption of that ritual still ended up destroying 30% of my astral projection... I am now a 6.86 dimensional being..."

The cloaked Xulu turned its body around. A few meters away, the corpse of a large wolf was slumped on the molten floor. Its mechanical wings, a marvel of engineering, covered its back like a blanket.

The cloaked being approached it. "It seems like you weren't able to overcome the injuries inflicted by Mason. Was it truly worth it? Dying for your cubs? However, since I signed a soul binding contract, I must honor it. Your cubs will be freed, however, your corpse is still valuable. Gwen'ko still requires specimens."

He pointed his hand toward its body. A black substance emerged from his finger that began to encase the corpse in its entirety. Then, the Mutant Alpha Demonic Wolf melted and merged with the exotic mixture. Moments later, the entirety of the corpse disappeared, leaving behind only an imprint of its existence on the sand.

Seeing nothing left to do, the being walked off into the distance, but not before turning to face the bellowing smoke emanating from the direction of the battlefield.

"Rudwell... The empire you have grown, it has become a shell of its former self. Was it truly worth the effort? Your grandson, Linarias, is nothing but a fool. I look forward to his results..."

End of Chapter