Tale of Eldramir

It wasn’t long before they returned to the area that the Sanafalls expedition was still awaiting them. Ezekiel, Scarlet, and Kari had all stopped crying by the time they set out, so they were properly composed by the time they arrived.

On the way, Ezekiel had gotten more than a few dirty looks, as well as several confused and contemplative ones. The Saber Scales were the most obviously opposed to Ezekiel. Since the Adepts from Tillsmont and the third expedition had moved to catch up with the Sanafalls expedition, that meant that Fiana, George, Martin, and Nina were there too.

Fiana and George had tried to run interference, but it seemed like Martin had insisted on smearing Ezekiel’s name through the mud. Most of the Saber Scales’ guild members were on the fence regarding him. As Ezekiel had saved them from the Ruins that they’d taken refuge in. But others considered the fact that the Cult were there for him to be the reason they had suffered so much.

Luckily, Kari was on his side, so Ezekiel didn’t suffer anything overt. Martin also got reprimanded for attempting to incite a revolt. Nina was spared since she kept out of it when Martin started running his mouth. Beyond that, little actually happened while the Legendaries were away. Though the death of Carrian was devastating to Scholars and Island Hopper Guild.

The Scholars were more understanding. They knew that Carrian had made his choice, and they were all aware of Ezekiel’s contributions. As well as the fact that he was, currently, the most powerful Void Mage in the World. Especially since he actually knew how to use his magic.

However, after word was spread regarding what had happened to Carrian and the Cultists, there was little left to do but wait. The Trigat Ruins had essentially been cleared out of anything useful or valuable.

There were no survivors from the Cult at this time. All the ships the Tillsmont and third expedition had found were flipped for their own use. The Cultists all put to the sword, and the maps and books regarding their operations would be used to finish wiping them out at a later date.

However, there was one thing that the Legendaries of the expedition wanted to confirm. Something that only Ezekiel could help them with. At least as far as they knew.

“So, young man, how exactly can we contact the Forest Spirit?” Marwyl asked Ezekiel as they sat in a large tent.

Ezekiel was being asked questions about what the best way to meet up with the Forest Spirit was. The Legendaries didn’t know how to speak with it. They also didn’t have a means of ensuring that the Spirit kept its end of the bargain. But they knew that it valued Ezekiel, so it was obvious to them that he must have a means of contacting it.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.” Ezekiel explained. “Its avatars are usually spread out across the island, but mainly centered on the border with the Cruor’s territory. Given the destruction of their leadership, most of its avatars on this side of the island were moved to the Cruor side.”

He then gave them a brief rundown of the Forest Spirit’s intentions regarding what it had him do.

“Given the situation, I’d say that we can probably expect a fresh avatar arriving within a few hours. I don’t know if there’s any that might be close by, so I’m making a guess based off of the distance between here and the Temple of the Void.” Ezekiel informed them.

“What assurances do you have of this?” Marwyl asked. Neither he nor the Legendary Hunters from his and the third expedition were particularly happy with that explanation.

“The fact that it knows that you’ll likely use me as a bargaining chip. Since it employed your assistance for the sake of helping me, I doubt it would be willing to sacrifice me just to get out of paying you.” Ezekiel said. “Unless it was just using you to kill the cultist. But honestly, it could’ve just waited for a day or so and he would’ve died either way. The faster he used his mana, the less the Forest would’ve needed to wait.”

Marwyl had little else to say regarding the matter, as he knew that, if Ezekiel didn’t have more information, then there was nothing they could do. At least not at that moment. So, he and the rest of the Legendaries had nothing to do but wait.

It was a little bit before nightfall when a flare was sent up by one of the patrol teams. Scarlet and Kari had decided that they weren’t going to be leaving the camp anytime soon. So, it was Yorn and one of the third expedition’s Legendaries that went to investigate.

It didn’t take them long to return, and when they did, it was with another of the Forest’s avatars in tow. Though this one was different from the knight that had accompanied Ezekiel. This one had no armor at all. Instead, its body appeared much softer, and less combative when it came to capabilities.

“Greetings. I believe that we have much to discuss.” The avatar said as it approached Marwyl and the rest.

“Indeed, we do. Please, come with us.” Marwyl gestured for the avatar to approach the command tent. From there, the rest of the Legendaries convened inside.

When asked if Ezekiel needed to be present, as the Forest had an interest in him, the avatar denied. Instead, it stated that it was capable of taking care of any threats to the ‘Child of the Void’ as it referred to Ezekiel. Thus, Ezekiel was left out, though he had no problems with that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to know what’s going on?” Shine couldn’t help but ask as Ezekiel headed back to his tent.

“I’m sure. Right now, the only thing I want to worry about is getting stronger. So that something like this won’t happen again.” Ezekiel replied. “Will you help me with that?”

“Of course, I will!” Shine said, shocked that Ezekiel would have to ask. “Carrian was my friend too!”

“Alright then. Let’s get to work.” Ezekiel said.

From there, the two fell into a meditative trance whenever possible. Even to the point of neglecting their social interactions, just so they could make a little bit of progress. Not that they would be able to make much, since there would be little to no downtime once they set out in the morning.

But for now, the two grew comfortable in their meditations. Allowing their experiences to further nourish and refine their souls. Allowing them to better perceive the world around themselves. Their range for sensing mana expanded, and the two did see some progress. Little though it may have been.

After meditating as much as possible over the course of the night, Ezekiel and Shine found themselves being escorted to the command tent. Seeing all the Legendaries, excluding the avatar, he knew that something was going to happen. Though the small bonsai sized tree in a stone pot did calm him down. It meant that the avatar had left them with a way of actually contacting it.

“You’ll be staying with us to go to the Temple in the first wave.” Marwyl explained. “In order to ensure that no additional conflicts regarding fairness pop up, we’ll be splitting our expeditions in order to get members from all three expeditions at the Temple for an equal chance. It’d take too long to get all of our expeditions there in any decent time frame otherwise.”

Ezekiel nodded in understanding. He figured that he was being brought along for the same reason as the first Temple he’d been brought to.

“As it is, we’ll need you for access to certain areas. Other than that, the avatar required your presence for a reason it would not provide.” Marwyl gave him a questioning look, but Ezekiel just shrugged.

While he had some idea of what the reason was, he couldn’t be certain. He figured it had to do with the Remnant. Much like in the Senera Temple. While Ezekiel was hopeful that he would get additional answers, he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough just yet.

“I guess we’ll be off then. It’ll take us a few days to get there at Adept speeds, right?” Ezekiel asked.

“Usually yes, but in this case the avatar insisted that you be brought there ahead of the rest.” Marwyl explained. None of the Legendaries in the room looked happy at this, but Ezekiel knew that they had to begrudgingly accept it.

“However, you will not be permitted to bring a Void Pouch with you, so as to not give you and Sanafalls an advantage.” Marwyl said. His voice was filled with frustration. Ezekiel figured that this was a topic that had been discussed several times during the night.

“Will anyone be coming with me?” Ezekiel asked.

“Yes. Fiana and George, your regular teammates will be accompanying you.” Marwyl said. “At that same time, Kari will be working with us to accompany the other Legendary Hunters that will be escorting our Adept forces to the Temple.”

Ezekiel figured that this made sense, as there was little need to send a Legendary with him right now. As it was already proven that the Forest Spirit didn’t have any intention to attack them.

“Scarlet and the rest of us will be returning to our temporary base camp. Where we will be able to set up proper defenses.” Marwyl said. “There’s little reason to keep them here, or even remain within the vicinity of the collapsed Ruins.”

“Understood. I guess I’ll get ready to set out then.” Ezekiel said.

“Your teammates will meet you at the edge of the camp with the avatar. Be safe.” Marwyl said.

Nodding his head in thanks, Ezekiel turned to Scarlet and Kari. Taking his Void Pouch off his belt, he passed it over to Scarlet. He took just a regular pouch of supplies, as well as a rolled-up tent and bedroll, just in case.

“That still has my other body in it, doesn’t it?” Shine asked. Referring to the little statue that he sometimes inhabited.

“Yes. But we’ll get it back. Don’t worry.” Ezekiel said. He knew why Shine was so concerned. That body was a gift from Carrian after all. Given what had just happened, it would be like twisting the knife if they lost that as well.

Moving to the edge of the camp, Ezekiel ignored the concerned look from Fiana, and the nervous chattering from George. Though he did pause to wonder why George was still coming if he was still so nervous. But before he could ask, they were all wrapped up in branches from the avatar and brought away at an incredible pace once again.

The trip was silent, for the most part. Until Fiana decided that she couldn’t take it anymore and decided to ask some questions. Yes, they had caught up regarding his mission for the Forest Spirit, but so much more had happened since then that she couldn’t help but be worried.

A part of her knew that she was making a bigger deal out of it since he was her friend, as well as the fact that he was still physically only thirteen years old. Although she knew that Ezekiel was extremely mature for his age, it was still difficult at times to relate his physical age to the maturity that he showed.

“Ezekiel... What happened?” She asked after several minutes. “Did you know who those cultists were?”

It took several seconds before Ezekiel could bring himself to answer. But when he did, it was like a flood gate opened up, and he told them everything. Going into further details regarding what little they knew about his past in Harkem. The issues he faced with the Cult of Light at that time. As well as the knowledge that the cult was hunting him, specifically, when they came to this island.

Fiana and George were silent through this all. They could both hear the heartfelt pain in Ezekiel’s voice. The guilt he felt for being, what he believed, was the primary cause of the problems they had been facing. Even George had snapped out of his nervous worries as he focused on Ezekiel’s tale.

“You can’t blame yourself. It’s their problem, for hating you for no good reason. Not yours for being born as a Void Mage.” Fiana said. “All expeditions face problems. You’ve seen your fair share of issues on your other expeditions. Those had nothing to do with you. This one isn’t any different.”

“But the only reason they came here was because of me!” Ezekiel exclaimed. “The only reason we had to face such dangers was because I was here!”

“Ezekiel, maybe you should listen to them.” Shine gently said in the back of Ezekiel’s mind. “Don’t let your mana affect you either!”

Ezekiel suppressed his slowly channeling mana. He knew that he needed to feel this, or else he’d never get over the pain. The self-loathing, however, was something he wanted gone. So, it was making things difficult for him to focus.

“In this case, yes, I’ll admit you’re right about that. But do you think that nothing like this has happened before?” Fiana asked. “It’s not the first-time pirates and other organizations in the Archipelago have interfered with expeditions. It won't be the last either. Hell. The death tolls this time aren’t even as bad as they could’ve been.”

Ezekiel was brought up short when she said that. They had lost nearly half of the Sanafalls expedition so far. Almost entirely due to the Death Worms.

“The fact of the matter is, existing isn’t wrong. You are not the problem. I can’t say it any more than I already have.” Fiana said.

“But-”

“Stop it!” George called out. His outburst drew incredulous looks from both Fiana and Ezekiel. Even Shine was surprised and turned their attention toward him.

“Look, kid. As someone who has legitimate reasons for being hated by others, I can tell you that you don’t have any.” George said. His words just drew more confusion from his audience.

“What? I know people don’t like me. I know the reasons why as well. I just don’t care, because I’m awesome, and they’re stupid.”

Fiana and Ezekiel calmed down after hearing this. It seemed like George was returning to his old self.

“And as someone who is awesome, let me tell you that you’re fairly awesome as well. Not as much as me, but enough to not deserve the bad things that have happened to you.” George said. “So, stop blaming yourself. The fact of the matter is, if people care about something, they’re willing to give something up for it. Carrian did that for you. Everyone else did that for their work and rewards.”

At the mention of Carrian, Ezekiel’s mood fell once again.

“So, all that means is that you need to make it up to them!” George declared. “If you let yourself mope, and wallow in guilt, how are you gonna show the world how great you are? What inventions are you going to make when you’re crying in a dark room feeling sorry for yourself?”

“You’re only a problem if you make yourself one.” George stated. “So, stop making yourself into a problem. Fix it instead and stop your pity party. It’s bad enough that I’m almost not scared of the avatar anymore.”

He turned his head to look at the humanoid tree that was carrying them. It turned its head to look back at him, eyes glowing and face utterly expressionless as it stared at George, its pace never faltering. George couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. Although no longer as jittery as before, he still stayed silent as he partially glared at Ezekiel.

“You’re an asshole. You know that.” Ezekiel finally said.

He wasn’t sure what to feel about George’s words, but he knew they weren’t meant to be insulting to him. So, he decided to consider it to be a pep talk from a moron with little empathy and understanding of other people.

“The correct term is awesome!” George said.

Ezekiel couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at George’s utter seriousness. Shine did the same, nearly rattling in his sheath from how much they were laughing.

Fiana looked on as Ezekiel laughed. Some of her worries were beginning to fade. She just hoped that whatever the Forest Spirit wanted Ezekiel for didn’t bring him down again. He was too important for the world, as far as she was concerned. Fiana was truly starting to believe that it would be a loss of potential greater than anything the Church of Ten had ever faced if something were to happen to him.

After the several hour journey to the Temple of the Void, the members of the Sanafalls expedition were once again put into a state of awe at the site of the massive tree that sat over what could be considered the Ruins of Morncrest.

During this time, Ezekiel had managed to calm down, and the negativity he was feeling was slowly fading away. It was still there and would likely remain for some time. But he knew that dwelling on it wouldn’t be helpful at this time.

“Here is where we shall split up.” The avatar stated as he directed Fiana and George to a different area than where it was taking Ezekiel. “The two of you are welcome to explore the remains of the city. This lesser avatar will guide you as needed.”

A smaller version of the Tier four avatar stepped out of a nearby tree. This one was only as strong as an Adept. But given Fiana and George’s own level of power, this was appropriate as a guide. The Forest Spirit didn’t think that it would be necessary to have a guard. It wasn’t like it couldn’t send an army of Adept avatars to take the duo down if need be.

“We’ll see you later tonight, I guess.” Fiana said as she was led away.

“You’ll have to catch me up when we meet up.” Ezekiel replied.

Heading off into different directions along the massive roots of the Forest Spirit, Ezekiel soon lost sight of Fiana and George. After going a fair distance away, the wooden pathway in front of him opened up as a ramp leading downwards appeared. Walking down into the depths of the roots beneath the Forest Spirit, Ezekiel was shocked to see a city just as large, if not even bigger, than Trigat.

Unlike the cavernous city, however, Ezekiel could tell that Morncrest was once a city that was fully exposed to the elements. There were no walls that could be seen in the distance. There were instead sprawling fields for agriculture. As well as perfectly preserved buildings, with only a few of them being held together by roots and branches where the Forest Spirit had overgrown them.

There were even lights shining from enchantments that seemed to span the entirety of the city. Even in the darkness of the roots beneath the Forest Spirit, Ezekiel had no need to channel his mana in order to see. It was as if the entire city had been near-perfectly preserved. A picture-perfect image of what the city once was, several hundred years ago.

“How is the city so preserved? Not even the Ruins of Trigat were this intact.” Ezekiel couldn’t help but ask. “That city only had a working defensive magic formation. Nothing to keep it in as good a condition as this.”

“I think that had something to do with the Death Worms.” Shine pondered as they took in the sights from the vision shared with them.

“This city was my home, long before the Cruor invaded. Before the shield cities around the island fell.” The avatar had a solemn echo to their voice. “During that time, I was a simple Adept Life Spirit. I lived in the orchards around the city. My partner was a farmer, before she joined the Temple of the Void.”

Ezekiel was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the Forest Spirit to begin talking about things like this. The changes the Forest Spirit had gone through as they interacted with one another were significant. He wondered why the Spirit was so much kinder than before.

“When she died, I gave up on believing that humans were worth anything.” The Forest Spirit said. “It was humans that betrayed us, after all.”

Ezekiel couldn’t help but wince. He figured that the Forest must be talking about how it was Void Mages that took in the blood of the Broods, becoming the first Cruor.

“You don’t have to worry about that from me. I’ll die before I ever join the Cruor.” Ezekiel stated. “I have too much I love for me to just give it up and join them.”

“Perhaps. But it was still human Mages that abandoned the shield cities to allow the Cruor a foothold on the island. Just so they could flee and save their own wretched hides.” The avatar’s voice grew deeper. It became a harsh whisper that cut through the air like the hiss of an animal expressing its anger. “My own partner was struck down by the defenders of this city, in the hopes that they would be able to escape if the one holding the defenses up was no longer trapping them in here.”

Ezekiel was shocked. He hadn’t expected the Mages of the island to have simply abandoned it. But apparently, that was the case. Now he knew why the Forest seemed so uncaring of humanity when they were brought here the first time. It had no care for their feelings since it had been abandoned and betrayed directly once before.

“How did you survive such a betrayal? How did the city?” Ezekiel couldn’t help but ask.

“It is not just humans that can bond with a Void Temple’s command key.” The avatar said. “When my partner was struck down, she sent me and the command key to a sectioned off area of the Temple. After I calmed down from the loss of my bond, I realized that she had also thrown the command key with me. After bonding with it, I took control of the Temple’s defenses.”

“I’ve seen those defenses in action. They did almost nothing to prevent the destruction of the city on the Continent.” Ezekiel said.

“The Archipelago has almost always been in a state of conflict. Usually between different islands. As such, the defenses here were likely far more extensive.” The avatar explained. “Not only that, but due to the difficulty of sailing the oceans of the world, only Deep and Winged Cruor were involved in the spreading of the Desolate Land across the seas. The lack of numbers likely had an impact on the change.”

Thinking about how the avatar was explaining it, he figured that that did make sense. Given the relative lack of resources compared to the ones available to humanity, the Cruor wouldn’t be able to make the enchanted ships that humanity used to sail relatively safely.

“You didn’t face any of the Rot?” Ezekiel asked. “I would’ve thought that spreading it here would be an easy way for them to conquer as much as possible.”

“The rot was here, once. Briefly. But I did not allow it to remain.” The avatar’s voice shifted to a deep rumble as it remembered the Rot that it had wiped out in the past. “It is also a weapon that the Cruor are cautious to use. Too much and the Rot becomes uncontrollable. The Cruor ultimately keep each other in check, much like the various factions of humanity due as well.”

Ezekiel couldn’t help but swallow nervously. He figured that that was a topic that he should avoid. At least for now.

The trio continued walking on in silence for a few minutes. They ultimately came to a stop in front of a building that looked familiar to Ezekiel. Though the last one he had seen was almost entirely collapsed. To the point that it was barely a clumped-up grouping of walls and collapsed roofs. This Temple of the Void was in pristine condition, and Ezekiel could make out intricate murals detailing what could only be the Ten Ancients that shaped this would several thousand years ago.

“Come along. The Remnant wishes to speak with you. I’m sure you have questions. She has assured me that she should have some answers for you.” The avatar said.

Entering the temple, Ezekiel followed the avatar further in and down into the depths of the building. As they passed through numerous Void Gates, Ezekiel found himself growing more comfortable in the somewhat familiar environment. Strange, considering his last experience in a Void Temple.

“I think it’s the energy.” Shine piped up after sensing Ezekiel’s confusion and asking what was wrong. “Maybe it’s because I’m a Spirit, but I can sense the Void mana in this place. It’s far stronger than anywhere else we’ve ever been.”

That would make sense. It was a proven fact that all Mages and Spirits were comfortable in environments where their element was most prominent.

They eventually came to a stop in front of a familiar set of doors. As they slid open, the massive form of the Void Core appeared in front of him. Looking over to the Forest Spirit, it gestured at him to approach. He did so, placing his hand on the core, and channeling his mana into it like he had at Senera.

There was a soft woosh of air, and neither Ezekiel nor Shine were anywhere to be seen.