Kade was panting, staring wildly around the room in a near-panic. Already he was having trouble recalling what he’d seen, but the experience was imprinted onto his very Soul, and some revelations felt like they would haunt him forever. He felt Edwin’s hands on his shoulders, and realized Selina had been speaking quietly with Markis for some time. He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but he sensed it was far from normal. When Markis saw that Kade was able to focus again, he spoke.
“Kade, are you able to concentrate on my voice?” at Kade’s pained nod, Markis continued, concern and relief equally present on his face. “Glad to have you back with us, and I’m sorry for whatever it was you experienced. Keeper Selina and I have been discussing it, and we imagine it could be a result of whatever was done to you inside of the Elder Altera. We can call for a healer if you’re still feeling the after effects?”
Kade considered before answering, “No, it was nothing physical–I think. It’s all fading so quickly now, but I’m starting to feel normal. I saw something…or maybe I saw everything–I can’t really describe it.” Markis looked surprised, but excited.
“You say you remember seeing something? That’s absolutely fascinating! No one has ever reported remembering anything during the ritual, it’s typically over in a flash, with little effect on the individual involved. But your Soul seemed to be trapped by the ritual somehow, I had to perform another of my own devising just to bring you back. You should let me check on you in a few days to ensure there’s no lingering effect.” Kade nodded, feeling his mind losing hold of the few threads of the experience he’d managed to cling to.
“I think I’m fine for now, it’s already starting to feel like something that happened to someone else.” Markis looked slightly relieved at the description.
“That is far more in-line with what we’d expect from the ritual. Which is good, because almost nothing else is what I’d have expected,” he finished by gesturing at the table, which Kade noticed that Edwin and Selina had been staring at in disbelief. Kade looked at the small statues, and was surprised to see that every single one of them now had a distinct form. Each of the unfinished blobs was now an immaculate statue depicting a warrior engaged in some form of unusual combat.
Kade couldn’t understand what the various gem colors meant, but he found himself fascinated by each of the new statues, as if they resonated with something deep inside him. One appeared to depict a warrior half-transformed into a beast of some kind, another appeared to be a fist fighter engaged in martial arts, with the rest being increasingly elaborate. He saw one that reminded him of the Elder he’d helped slay, as it seemed to be covered in spikes, and tentacles.
Two stood out more than the rest, one because its gem glowed the most brightly, and depicted a warrior holding a massive blade point-down into the earth, with the other hand appearing to be channeling energy. The second statue was what the other three people in the room seemed unable to look away from. It depicted a warrior with both hands clasped in front of him, a familiar beam of energy firing outward. While far from the most elaborate of the statues, it stood out as the gem in front of it was shattered, and the whole statue glowed with its own deep, red light.
“What are we looking at, brother Markis?” Selina asked in her whispered, commanding voice. Markis didn’t look up from the table, as he gently prodded the glowing statue with a finger.
“Something impossible, Keeper. Or at least something unrecorded in our history,” he finally looked up to meet her eyes. “This man is already attuned to an Ancestral Path.” Kade’s mind raced back to his bracer, and recalled that it had indeed already listed him as having an unknown Class. He was surprised to find that the fact hadn’t crossed his mind the entire time he’d been here with Markis, which didn’t feel right. He knew that he felt compelled to keep the anomalous energy a secret, but he had thought it was a conscious choice. Now…
It was Edwin who spoke next, “That’s impossible for too many reasons to list. He was only a few minutes Awakened when we found him, and it was days before he was Bonded. How could he possibly be on a specific Ancestral Path already?” Despite the anger and frustration in Edwin’s tone, Markis appeared to take the question at face value. At last he looked curious.
“You found him inside Altera’s Soul Manifestation, did you not?” Kade blinked at that, not certain he’d heard right. The labyrinth had been what? Markis continued at Edwin’s hurried nod, “Then perhaps…could he have been undertaking a Trial?” Both Selina and Edwin visibly recoiled at the suggestion, then looked at Kade, their gazes almost accusatory. Selina’s eyes didn’t move, though she spoke to the room.
“Is that possible? Do we know for sure what would happen to an unawakened Soul if a Trial was forced on it?” Markis was shaking his head, but there was a look of fascination on his face as he stared alternately at Kade, then the glowing statue.
“Moments ago I said precisely that it wasn’t possible, and everything I’ve been taught confirms that. Everything except the man sitting before me, with a partially formed Path.”
Kade finally found his voice, “What do you mean, partially formed?”
Markis looked relieved to have a question he could answer, and he did so happily, “This, at least, is something we have on record. I’ve never encountered it personally, but it is a part of the early histories.” He gestured at the broken gem, “We’ve performed this ritual on Keepers who already walk a Path, of course. The ritual accounts for that, and the gem would have taken on a specific color to indicate an active Path. Yours attempted to do so, and shattered when the flow of energy became too unstable. This has happened before when a Trial was interrupted before completion. It’s not an easy thing to do, as the circumstances have to be extreme enough to affect the Elder’s own Soul Core.”
Edwin looked contemplative, then spoke softly, “Would a Ritual of Calm interrupt an ongoing Trial?” Markis’ eyes widened with shock and concern.
“It certainly would, and that would explain much but…” he looked at Kade with something that may have been fear. “If you were performing a Ritual of Calm, then Altera would have been channeling Chaos when his trial was taking place.” Kade felt energy coursing through him at hearing the words, and was reaching for his chains without realizing it when Edwin spoke again.
“That makes sense, he had Chaos sickness worse than anything we’d ever seen. Only Graves being there and the exposure being so recent saved his life. We think that’s what ruined his memory.” Markis looked incredibly relieved, though Selina’s head was still cocked in contemplation.
“That explains a great deal, and you’re right that only brother Graves would have had any chance at saving him. May the Chaos he found rot in the Oblivion to which it was banished.” Finally Selina spoke again.
“If you’ve seen this before, do you have any idea how we can help the boy?” Markis smiled broadly, nodding.
“Thankfully yes. It’s actually a relatively simple fix, even if the problem is comparatively rare and complex. If he can complete his trial for a new Path, the Ritual Magics should repair his broken one. The Ritual doesn’t differentiate, you see, it’s meant to lock in a Path, and would conceivably do so regardless of the number of incomplete Paths a Soul was on. At most I’ll need to make minor adjustments to the beginning of the Ritual, but ultimately it should allow him to proceed just like any dual-Path,” he paused, considering. “Thankfully he’s a triple-path. If he was a single, I think he’d be trapped like this.” Edwin looked nearly as relieved as Kade, and clapped him once on the back.
“We’ll get this sorted, son, don’t worry. This will make some things harder, but others a lot simpler,” he smiled encouragingly, but Markis had more to say.
“That brings us to the other challenges. First, Karthas will rightly view this as his second Ritual, which are always far more dangerous and demanding.” Selina smiled slightly.
“That just means he’ll need a capable partner, and I have one in mind,” Markis’ eyebrows went up, and he nodded in understanding.
“If I know who you mean, then yes, that will almost certainly solve the first problem, but there’s still the other: his affinities are absolutely absurd. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kade leaned in, his curiosity banishing any other thought.
“What’s wrong, is Metallurgy my only option?” Markis shook his head sadly, and pointed at the small craftsman statue, which had a gem with almost no glow at all.
“You barely have any affinity to Metallurgy at all. Even if that was the only strange thing with your affinities, given that you have a Metallurgic Soul Manifestation, it would be worthy of years of discussion and research. That simply doesn’t happen. But nearly everything I see here is strange.” The group crowded in to get a closer look, and Kade thought he could recognize what the priest was trying to convey. Markis continued speaking, looking bewildered.
“It’s not just the Metallurgy. Most Awakened have a few Paths available to them, with rarer candidates having four or five. Of those paths, there’s usually an average affinity level to each, with one or two standing out as a particularly strong affinity–maybe an A or a B,” he gestured at the table before him. “Kade has at least a dozen affinities, and I’m worried what might have happened if I had loaded the ritual with more blank templates.” Kade felt hopeful at that, but felt his hopes dashed as he looked at Markis’ slowly shaking head.
“I take it the problem isn’t just that I have too many wonderful choices ahead of me,” Kade said. Markis looked sympathetic, and he sighed before replying.
“You effectively have no choice, I’m sorry to say. For most of these paths–whatever they are–you have the smallest possible affinity. It’s like whichever Ancestor encountered them just saw them in the distance somewhere, nothing like what you’d need to have a real chance at mastering their Path.” Edwin jumped in, gesturing at the three statues that seemed to be exceptions.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“But these three are clearly different, even if two of them are unknown Paths.” Markis shrugged.
“You’re right, and again that’s wildly unusual,” he pointed at the glowing statue with the broken gem. “The Path he’s already on is an abnormally high match, it’s an S affinity, which I’ve only seen once since taking this role over a century ago. The second path is the Warrior, which is only a B affinity, but do you see how the gem is two-toned in color?” They all had to look more closely, but sure enough the gem was a mix of cool blue with a splash of green mixed in. “That indicates that it’s a Warrior variant. Again, not an enormous rarity on its own, but combined with the rest of this mess, it’s highly suspect.”
“Should we redo the ritual?” Selina asked. “If it’s as skewed as you say, perhaps it’s just a consequence of something going wrong.”
“The Ritual was perfect, I know it in my Soul–and that’s not a metaphor. The brotherhood will study the results of this madness for generations, and frankly, I don’t think we should even be touching the table,” they all withdrew reflexively, looking at the table with new suspicion. At last Kade spoke.
“What’s a variant-Warrior?” he asked, the word variant being a touchy subject for him. It was Edwin who spoke.
“Like Markis said, it’s less unusual than the rest of…this,” he gestured at the whole table. “It just means that Karthas isn’t a perfect fit for your particular Warrior skill-set. You can still take the Trial, but you aren’t likely to end up with abilities common to other Karthas-Warriors. For your second trial you’ll likely want to find a more compatible Elder. You’ll have better results with your abilities, and may even gain a better affinity once the true Path is revealed.” Selina appeared intrigued.
“I’ve never met a variant, but you’re oddly knowledgeable on the subject, Edwin.”
“I met a variant Elementalist once. He claimed his Path was actually called Primal Elementalist, and he could do some very unusual things with his element. We met in a joint operation long ago, I’m not sure if he’s still alive.”
Kade was still reeling, but managed to point at the last statue, the one with both sword and energy. “What about this one? If I get to choose another path some day, it doesn’t look like I’ll have many options. What’s the affinity for that one?”
Markis looked to Selina and Edwin who were apparently farther ahead than Kade was. When Markis spoke his disbelief was palpable, “That is an advanced Path...if you were to find someone who had attained Finalis, after embracing only a single Path for millenia, their affinity might look like this. Their Soul would have perfectly shaped itself after so much time and tempering. It's a perfect match, Kade. A double-S, something only theorized until now. It was like your Soul was forged to walk this Path.”
****
Kade didn’t know what to feel as he stepped back out into the sunlight. Everything he’d experienced in the Ritual building had felt so surreal. Whatever he’d been through while tracing the path of his Ancestors had shaken his already tenuous grasp on this new reality. The implausible results of his affinity test had then threatened to push him over the edge. At the last, Edwin had uttered a few simple words, and they echoed through Kade’s mind with each step he took: What did they do to you?
He didn’t really hear what the Keepers spoke about after that point, as his mind felt numb. He nodded at whatever Selina had said before she and Edwin walked briskly away, talking rapidly to one another. He vaguely recalled agreeing to come visit Markis again soon, the man promising to study the ritual further in hopes of being any help to the clearly lost Kade. Now as Kade wandered through the campus, he realized he’d been unmoored, and not just by the madness of the ritual, or the choice he was supposed to make of what Path to walk. It was the look he’d seen shared among each of the three people who’d witnessed the Ritual, there was pity–which he expected–but underneath it all was suspicion.
In one moment he’d gone from an unusual stranger who needed help, to an object of scrutiny and distrust. What did they do to you? He wasn’t just another Keeper candidate–if ever had been–he was something that clearly didn’t belong in this world, and he wasn’t sure if the people he needed to rely on would still be people he could trust after this.
As time passed, Kade continued to walk through the grounds, discovering gardens and peaceful trails he was able to get lost in, and he managed to slowly pull himself together. Once more he found that there was an inner strength that pushed him ever-forward, that wouldn’t let him wallow or flounder, and as he began to walk more purposefully toward the exit, he found that he was nearly the master of himself once more. What did they do to you?
As he walked, he checked his bracer, worried about finding more surprises.
Attention: [Path to Power] update!
Objective: Embrace an Ancestral Totem!
Path: (1) Reach an Elder of a compatible path! (Complete)
Path: (2) Undergo the Trial of Karthas!
Reading the small update, he found himself disappointed. While he still feared being given an objective that would take him down a dark path, he discovered he was also quietly hoping for more guidance from the bracer, especially in moments like this. When he looked back up, he realized there was a small group of students blocking the way, one of whom he recognized.
Gwen was facing off with a very tall, wiry man, who wore a heavy cloak over his uniform. While Kade would have to look up at the man, he didn’t appear to be tall in the way Eleonora had been–clearly influenced by the Path. The man was lightly tanned as was common around Karthas, and his hair was a glossy black with highlights of deep purple, only noticeable in the bright sunlight. His posture was clearly hostile, and the group around him seemed to be feeding off his anger; Kade could hear grumbling and encouragement from the small crowd.
“Just tell us where the thief went, Gwen, this doesn’t have anything to do with you,” the tall man said in a harsh tone, his anger appearing barely restrained.
“You’re asking me to betray another student, using information I gained from Keeper Selina, and you’re saying this won’t involve me? Don’t play the fool, Sal. You know how you get when you let your anger control you,” once again, Kade could sense that Gwen’s words didn’t seem to match her intentions, as the man was clearly even more furious at mention of his anger.
“I’m in complete control!” he roared, and the rest of the students backed off warily, though Kade caught the familiar hint of triumph on Gwen’s face. ‘Sal’ apparently noticed too as he took in the group of frightened students, and being played seemed to drive his rage to new heights. His voice was back to a steely calm when he spoke though, “None of your games today, Gwen. Good people were counting on those Fragments, and now the entire city is weaker for it! We could have a half-dozen new Keepers, instead we have some fool wrapped in chains!”
Kade let out a sigh as the situation became clear, and he instinctively looked around for Edwin or some other Keeper. He wasn’t exactly frightened of the loud youth, despite the other students cowering from him, but Kade was certain there were layers to this that were well beyond him. And worse, he admitted to himself, the man appeared to make a damn good point. Unfortunately, Kade had unwittingly become involved when his loud sigh came out during a tense silence, and all eyes were drawn to him.
Seeing no alternative, Kade strode forward, letting his chains burst forth and fall into their customary, flowing state. Seemingly reacting to the implied threat of the livid man, he noticed some of his chains rising up of their own accord, reminding him of snakes preparing to strike. He had to will them not to form into blades as the tall man stormed up to him, clearly unconcerned, “It’s you!” he practically screamed into Kade’s face.
A mischievous part of Kade wanted to shout something silly back at him, like or is it? But he could sense the man wasn’t in the right mood. Instead, Kade tried to focus on what he’d heard–that the Fragments he was given would be a larger problem for Edwin than himself, and he didn’t want to make the man’s troubles worse. He put his hand out for the man to shake–not knowing if anyone actually did that here–and simply responded with, “Hello, I’m Kade. I’m probably the one you’re looking for.” The man stared at the hand in confusion for a moment, then surprised Kade by taking it in a firm grip.
“I am Salarus de L'estat. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Who you’ve hurt?” he accused. Kade took a breath and replied honestly.
“It’s good to meet you, Salarus. I think I may know a relative of yours,” the man didn’t react to the news, suggesting he’d already been aware. “As for who I’ve hurt? Honestly at the time I had no idea what I was being given–my memory is a scrambled mess. All I knew was that I was probably going to die, and the people keeping me alive wanted to give me something that would help. I chose to trust their judgment, would you have done differently?” he kept his voice intentionally flat, not wanting to escalate the situation further.
Salarus continued to fume for a moment, and Kade could feel the man’s heavy breathing as he stared searchingly into Kade’s eyes. Kade didn’t know what the man was looking for, but at last he retreated a step and nodded, “If you truly didn’t know…no even if you had known, there’s no doubt you were out there in the Chaos, and unbonded. I can still smell it on you.” He let out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment, and when he next spoke he’d lost much of his anger. “You are clearly not to blame for this, but you need to understand the consequences of saving your life.”
He turned and gestured to the group of students, “There are dozens like these, each missing only a single Bond preventing them from stepping onto the Path. You represent six Keepers that could be out there, fighting to protect this city and its people. You may not have known what you were doing, but the ones who found you certainly did, and by saving one man they may be responsible for uncountable deaths in the future,” the righteousness of his cause clearly fed back into his anger, and by the end he was nearly shouting again. He finished by poking a finger into Kade’s chest to punctuate his point, “Never forget what your life cost.”
Before Kade could react further, the man spun on his heels, his cloak billowing dramatically as he strode away, the group of students hurrying to follow. Gwen watched the group retreat for a moment before joining Kade, “I’m sorry for him, Kade. He’s used to being worshiped by everyone around here, and not getting his way isn’t something he’s used to. He failed to mention that nearly every one of those Keepers he’s so concerned about would likely have been one of his own sycophants, and one is his younger sister.”
Kade nodded, but whether it was instinct or lingering distrust of anything Gwen said, he found he didn’t completely agree with her assessment of the man. He opened his mouth to ask about Salarus, when Edwin came around a building, and walked toward the two when he noticed Kade. His face had fallen into the serious expression he’d worn so often since they lost Nicky, and he seemed incredibly distracted as he nodded in greeting. “We’re done here for now. I need to get you to Alara’s as soon as I can. I don’t have much time left in the city.”
Kade felt another small moment of panic, “You’re leaving? You never mentioned that. I thought you were going to help me prepare for my Trial.” Gwen watched the exchange with poorly concealed interest, as Edwin shook his head sadly.
“Alara will need to prepare you, and arrangements are already being made by Selina to ensure you have the best possible chance,” he looked off into the direction of the Chaos, and his hand drifted up to his pendant. “There’s something I need to take care of, and it will take time, but I promise to return. In the meantime, learn what you can, listen to those you trust, and stay alive.” Kade could tell that Edwin didn’t want to give any details, but he had to try anyway.
“Can you at least tell me where you’re going?” Kade pleaded. Edwin looked back at him, clearly wrestling with something, but finally nodded.
“I need to do something I’ve been putting off for far too long. I need to go home.”