Tale of Eldramir

Ezekiel sat next to Riley and Celia as they were bound to the large stone within the shelter. Shine was resting on Ezekiel’s lap as he mentally prepared himself. Given that Celia also had a golden eye, Ezekiel assumed that the both of them must’ve been corrupted by the Cult of Light. As such, he was certain that he’d have to use his nullification technique on both of them. Something that Shine couldn’t do, so Ezekiel hoped that they could support him.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea? You’re literally going to be diving into their souls. What if you damage something?” Shine asked in concern. “Wouldn’t that hurt worse than what’s already been done to them?”

“... Maybe, but I have no doubt in my mind that she’s in this state because of me. It’s obvious that the Cult decided to use her to target me.” Ezekiel said. “Yet, somehow, she didn’t use the most efficient method of killing me. Instead, she made a bad call, and we were barely able to escape. I think that’s worth an attempt to help her, at the very least.”

Shine took a moment to think about what Ezekiel said, and as much as they were worried, they knew that Ezekiel was set on his path. So, they decided that they would be better off doing their best to help him in his endeavor. Diving deep into the bond between them, Shine prepared to pull Ezekiel back if things seemed to be going poorly.

Sensing Shine’s silent support, Ezekiel conveyed feelings of thanks and gratitude through their bond. Taking in a deep breath and making sure that his mana had fully recovered from his breakthrough, Ezekiel placed a hand on both Riley’s and Celia’s heads.

As he gently extended his mana into their bodies, he made sure to include the concept of nothingness to keep it from catalyzing with their mana. This was distinctly different from when he had first injected his mana into another person. But back then, he was hoping to cause as much damage as possible, not keep them relatively safe. Thus, he took inspiration from the books he’d read on the various types of mana and tried to emulate a Life Mage.

Usually, mana of a type that one is not affiliated with will fail to come under a mage’s control when it is absorbed into their body and eventually gathered in their mana pool. This causes the mana to run rampant and damage their soul and spirit pathways. If the damage is too great, then it is possible that a mage will lose the ability to use their magic, if they don’t simply die.

Life Mages can avoid this by infusing their ‘Will’ into their mana. This is something that can usually only be done at Tier two, though some Tier ones have a powerful enough soul to extend their Will into their mana. Though this is very rare. Most of their training wasn’t just medical practices, but also ensuring that their Will conveyed helpfulness and aid, so that it didn’t conflict with those they healed.

For Ezekiel, it was like how, when he grew stronger, reaching a higher Tier and higher Steps, he was able to partially extend his mana outside his body, so long as he kept contact with it. Unlike with Life mana, he had to worry about the innate properties of Void mana catalyzing with other elements, meaning that his will had to fight with the world itself if he lost direct contact with his mana, but it was different if it was sent directly into another person’s body.

Injecting his mana into another person’s body meant that he only had to contend with the other person’s Will. Not the will of the world and the nature of all the other elements. Thus, so long as he kept physical contact with Riley and Celia, he should’ve been able to keep control of his mana. A theory that he proved correct. But it wasn’t long before he felt a foreign will fighting against him. A Will that wasn’t Riley’s or Celia’s. A will that was angry, and seemed like it was trying to burn anything and everything.

“No... It’s trying to bleach anything and everything.” Ezekiel thought with a pained grunt as he nearly lost control of his mana. “Like the way sunlight eats away at things. But it’s almost like it’s a million times stronger.”

He found himself having to immediately retract his mana, lest he lose control and cause the mana within his two patients to go berserk. Luckily the mana restraining manacles ensured that none of their mana managed to escape as he did this.

“What happened? Is everything alright?” Shine asked with worry in their voice as Ezekiel seemed to shoot backwards as he opened his eyes.

“I’m fine. But it seems like I’m going to have to go a bit deeper than I expected.” Ezekiel said. “Whatever you do, don’t pull me out unless I tell you to.”

Nearly in a panic, Shine tried to ask what Ezekiel was about to do, but it seemed like Ezekiel wasn’t looking to talk right now. Instead, he extended a much larger amount of mana into Riley and Celia. Alongside a large part of his consciousness. Something that was incredibly dangerous to do. Usually only used by Adept Life Mages when they were attempting to heal damaged souls and spirit paths.

Shine, having been left behind as a safety line, was frantically calling through their bond with Ezekiel. But other than feelings of reassurance and apologies, there was nothing that they could do. Suddenly yanking on Ezekiel’s consciousness would damage all three of them. Something that Shine was only willing to do as a last resort.

For now, they were stuck. Waiting restlessly as Ezekiel attempted to save one of his earliest friends. A part of Shine regretted not fighting harder against Ezekiel’s decision to do this. Another part decided that they were going to berate him to hell and back when he woke up. But as they sat there waiting for Ezekiel, all they were certain of was that they hoped that everything would turn out okay.

“Are you sure that this is the best course of action?” Marc asked Fiana as they set out into the desert with a contingent of Hunters. “We have no guarantee that he will actually show up in Zime before it’s too late.”

Sitting back in her seat, Fiana saw the looks of agreement and acceptance on George and Cinder’s faces. It seemed that they were of the same opinion as Marc but were more willing to go along with their mission. Although, it appeared that Cinder was more than a little bit stressed out, given her current situation. But she had been mostly subdued since they’d left Dross.

“Over the past eight years, Ezekiel has been nothing less than a brother to me. I know full well what he’s capable of, as well as what he’s likely to do.” Fiana said. “Given this information, there is no doubt in my mind that Ezekiel will survive, somehow. But in truth, the reason we’re going to Zime is because it’s actually closer than the Archipelago.”

Marc and George looked surprised, but Cinder just looked confused. Earlier, before they had set out from the destroyed trade route outpost, Fiana had said that they would be waiting in Zime for Ezekiel. Yet, here she was, saying something completely contradictory to her previous words.

“But... weren’t we going there to wait for Ezekiel?” George voiced the question that they all had.

“Yes, but that’s more a matter of convenience. Given the fact that the Cult is taking out the waypoint towns along the southern coast of Tarquessa, leaving the desert is our best bet.” Fiana explained. “But, given the state of the waters around the coastline, it’s not feasible for us to catch a boat at this time. Better to go to the Empire, where we’ve been given a letter of referral for.”

“So, it’s a matter of convenience, rather than just a last-ditch hope for Ezekiel?” Marc asked.

“It’s killing two birds with one stone. If things turn out well, Ezekiel will arrive in Zime within a month. If they don’t, or things take a turn for the worst, then we leave.” Fiana explained. “However, there is one thing that we must discuss. Cinder. What will you be doing?”

Cinder, who had been listening intensely, looked surprised to be the center of attention. She had been accompanying the trio of Scholars since their initial arrival the day after Ezekiel had set foot on Tarquessa. But other than providing aid for them, she hadn’t really made her own plans well known.

“To be honest, I would like to continue traveling with the three of you, if possible.” Cinder said. “My family has always had incredibly close ties to the Church of Ten within Tarquessa. Some of my cousins are actually Scholars. Hence, why I have been able to provide such aid. Like the connections to the Red Stone Guild, and the carts and Hunters employed by my family.”

The Scholars nodded along. They were well aware that, if not for Cinder, there was no way they would’ve been able to continue chasing after Ezekiel like they had been. Although, it seemed like things had become strained when they had left Dross.

“Given the state of the war, and the fact that we are losing ground, I think it would be best to get out of the desert for a while. If you three will be leaving, then I would be happy to lend my personal funds to assist.” Cinder further explained. “But I’m not sure I’ll be as helpful as I was before. My family is not happy about what happened at the Waypoint. Nor have they necessarily approved of my own intentions to join the Church at some point. They were fairly intent on marrying me off. Once we arrive at Zime, it is likely that these forces will be redirected to other family assets. I won’t be able to get a free escort again.”

The three Scholars winced and diverted their eyes in regret. They hadn’t been there for it, but it was obvious that, upon her return, Cinder had been confronted by her family. It seemed like there was a falling out of some sort, but they weren’t willing to interfere in business that wasn’t theirs.

“Thank you, again, for all the help you’ve given us. When we reach the Empire, if no one else accepts you, should you still wish to become a Scholar, then I would be happy to accept you as my Apprentice.” Fiana said. “It would be probationary, until you managed to pass the tests to make it official, but I can help you prepare for that.”

Cinder looked shocked. She had been prevented from joining the Church for the sake of her family for years. The most she could do to take control of her life was to get away from the main branch of the family. Going to the Waypoint town was her form of rebellion, since the Church was just corrupt enough to reject all her attempts at entering their ranks.

It wasn’t until she was finally forced to return that she was reminded of how little she cared for her family. As well as how little they cared for her. To the point of disowning her for rejecting their attempts to use her. If it wasn’t for the forces still loyal to her uncle, then she likely wouldn’t have been able to get any of the help for the caravan that they’d traveled with.

For her to have a high ranked Scholar promise to take her on upon their arrival in the Empire was more than she could’ve hoped for. To the point she nearly broke out into tears.

“Thank you.” She said with a crack in her voice. Fiana reached out to place a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Unfortunately, a voice from outside the wagon interrupted them.

“Scholars! I think you need to see this!” The leader of the caravan that had decided to accompany them when they split from the other Hunters called out.

Getting out of the wagon, Fiana, George, and Marc looked into the distance. Thanks to the sandstorm, much of the area was barely recognizable. Not that there was much to recognize in the desert. However, something was poking out of the sand about a kilometer away and was only visible thanks to the binoculars that the caravan’s watchers had. Something that was somewhat familiar.

“Is that a collapsible shelter?” George asked.

“If it is, then hopefully today’s our lucky day.” Fiana said. “Get ready. I want to check this out before we go any further.”

No one said anything for a moment, but as Fiana took out some weapons and defensive artifacts, they all scrambled to defend themselves. It seemed like they were going to investigate the apparent shelter. It wasn’t voiced, but everyone knew what the three Scholars were looking for.

So, it was obvious what they hoped for. Some of them couldn’t help but hope for the same thing, as it would mean that the Cult had failed. Regardless, they would find out in a few minutes.

BOOM

A sudden explosion of fire, glass, and sand into the air made the group act much more quickly. With several of the Hunters rushing ahead with Fiana.

Several minutes earlier, just as Ezekiel’s consciousness had delved into Riley’s and Celia’s, he found himself in an expanse of white that was trying to eat away at him. It was not unlike when he was delving into his own soul to find his second and third Chakra. But with pain and blinding golden light.

Reinforcing himself with what mana he was still connected to, Ezekiel began to wander where he could, sensing a slight heat coming from one direction. This was different from the searing corrosiveness of the light that surrounded him. But as he moved, he felt the light rushing towards him in the form of a variety of constructs.

Throwing up a Shroud, but infusing his concept of Nothingness, Ezekiel was barely able to defend against the attacks that were being fired at him. Knowing that he couldn’t keep this up for much longer, he willed his consciousness forward, toward the Flame he sensed nearby.

As he got closer, he realized that it wasn’t one, but two Flames that he sensed. They were intertwined, and as he came to see the Flames that represented Riley and Celia’s magic, he was shocked to see that they were weakly sputtering out. The Light was bearing down on them, and slowly beginning to snuff them out.

But before he could make contact with either of them, he was forced to avoid a horrifying figure.

“DIE YOU WRETCHED SPAWN OF THE FALSE CREATOR!” The figure that launched itself at Ezekiel was devoid of any sexually defining features. It was humanoid and seemed to stand out against the gold light background. It was as if someone had drawn the outline of a generic human figure, and then fleshed it out with pure gold.

The figure itself was a darker shade of gold than the surroundings but emitted a light that shone more brightly than anything else. Yet, no matter how Ezekiel looked at it, the Light that it emitted was like an aura, not covering its body, but encircling it in accordance with the angle that he viewed it.

He couldn't look at it for long, however, before he was forced to move his consciousness backwards to avoid an angry swing of the figure’s sword. Ezekiel tried to dispel the sword, but the figure’s Light was too strong. The will within it was too solid. Unlike the constructs that had attacked him before. As such, he could only block and dodge.

“YOU DARE TO DEFY THE NATURAL ORDER!? YOU DARE TO DEFY THE REVELATIONS OF MY LIGHT!? YOU ARE JUST AS YOUR WRETCHED PREDECESSORS ONCE WERE. IF NOT WORSE!” The figure continued to scream, even as Ezekiel was forced to dodge its attacks. “IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT THOSE THAT CAME BEFORE FAILED TO BRING ME BACK INTO THE WORLD, SO THAT I MIGHT BRING TRUE BALANCE TO IT. BUT FOR YOU TO HAVE WALKED THE PATH OF THE END, AND NOT PERISHED, SHOWS JUST HOW MONSTROUS YOU ARE! JUST HOW MUCH LIKE THEM YOU WILL BE!”

As he continued to defend himself against the figure’s attacks, he realized that the figure was paying attention solely to himself. Not too horrible a thing, as it meant that Riley and Celia’s consciousnesses were safe. But it did mean that he had little room to breathe.

However, as he dodged a wild swing at his head, he realized that there was little to no skill involved in their attacks. Thus, he was able to somewhat predict what was happening. In doing so, he came up with an idea, one he hoped would work, because he was running out of time.

So maddened by Ezekiel’s presence, the figure whom Ezekiel could only assume was a representation of the Radiant Lord, failed to realize that Ezekiel was leading it back towards where Riley and Celia’s Flames resided.

As they neared, Ezekiel turned to get close to them as fast as he could, but the Radiant Lord’s avatar was quick to catch up to him. Just as he wanted.

Sharply turning his attention towards the avatar, Ezekiel blasted a massive amount of Void mana directly into the avatar. Avoiding another wild swing as the avatar’s posture conveyed shock, Ezekiel managed to get both his hands directly on its chest.

In one hand, Ezekiel channeled Nothingness, in the other, he channeled Pure Void. The conflicting aspects of enhancing and nullifying, Ezekiel’s strike created a paradoxical force that the avatar couldn’t stand.

Letting out the most horrifying scream that Ezekiel had ever heard. But his attempt paid off, as he saw the avatar shatter into countless pieces before fading away. Looking around himself, he realized that his surroundings seemed to reflect the damage done to the avatar. But he couldn’t relax, nor did he think he could do that again, as he doubted that Riley’s consciousness could handle it.

Quickly making his way to Riley and Celia’s Flames, he quickly tried yet another idea. Encasing the two Flames in a barrier of his mana, he channeled Pure Void to enhance their strength as much as possible. The barriers successfully stopped the mana from running rampant, but he couldn’t relax.

“YOU DARE!?” Several more voices screamed at him from all around. More avatars were forming from the Light that had corrupted Riley and Celia. They continued to form from the walls of Riley and Celia’s consciousness.

Surrounding himself in another barrier, he filled it with his concept of Nothingness. Slowly, he began to chip away at the Light that surrounded him and allowed the Flame mana within Riley and Celia to grow stronger. He figured that if he could tip the current balance between Riley and Celia’s Flame, when compared to the Radiant Lord’s Light, then she might be able to help him, and save herself.

“YOU SHALL FAIL! MY LIGHT SHALL BRING PEACE AND BALANCE TO THIS WORLD OF CHAOS! THERE WILL NO LONGER BE BODY AND SPIRIT! THE TWO SIDES WILL BE ONE! AS THEY ALWAYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!!”

Turning his attention to the avatars that were attacking his barriers, Ezekiel continued to channel his mana. While Ezekiel was confused at the angry screaming of the Radiant Lord, he didn’t allow it to distract him. Although he did make a note to keep what it said in mind for future research.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out for. He was running out of mana, and if Riley and Celia couldn’t wake up soon, he wasn’t certain that they could be saved. He had almost no doubt that the Radiant Lord’s avatar would not let Riley survive after this. Not after Ezekiel had taken such drastic steps to save her.

“Ezekiel?” A quiet voice called out from behind him. Turning back, Ezekiel saw that weakly flickering Flames begin to solidify. They took the form of Riley and Celia. Both looked tired but were slowly growing in strength. Focusing with everything he had, he conveyed his thoughts, his intentions, with his mana. Before expending everything that he had left to strengthen their magic as much as possible, letting out a blast that briefly disoriented the avatars around him. Hoping and praying that this wouldn’t kill his friend.

With one last glance at Riley’s and Celia’s consciousnesses, he reached across his bond with Shine. Tugging slightly, he allowed Shine’s consciousness to pull the small wisp that he had used back into his own body. As he returned to his own body, he opened his eyes, only to feel a barrier go up around him, and light and fire fill his vision.

Ezekiel let out a grunt as he impacted on the sand. Woozy and disorientated, it took him longer than he would’ve liked to regain his bearings. Getting up from the ground, he nearly fell down again as he lost his balance. Deciding to just lay there and trust that Shine had his back, he figured he could take a minute to settle down.

“Ezekiel! We’ve got company incoming!” Shine frantically yelled at him. “There’s a lot of them! At least a dozen!”

As he forced himself into an upright position, Ezekiel found his vision swimming. The side effects of his attempts had hit him harder than expected. But he hadn’t known that there would be an explosion upon retracting his consciousness from Riley’s and Celia’s.

Feeling Shine channeling some of their mana into him, he looked towards the group that was dashing towards him. He forced himself into a combat position, knowing that this was going to be a difficult fight, when he felt Shine relax, and a familiar voice barely echoed within his still ringing ears.

“Ezekiel! Ezekiel!” The red-haired figure grew clearer in Ezekiel’s vision, and he recognized Fiana as she ran towards him. He allowed himself to collapse to the ground, knowing that these were not his enemies. At least not all of them.

“Are you alright? What the hell happened?” Fiana frantically asked. “Was it the Cult? Are there any enemies nearby?”

“N-no.. Riley... Tried to... purify... the Light... Help her too... Please...” Ezekiel forced out as he failed to stand up again. “Mana shackles...”

Ezekiel weakly points towards the hole where his shelter had been covered in sand. He fell unconscious almost immediately afterwards. Much to Fiana’s screaming worry. But there was nothing he could do but let the world fade to black.

The rest of the group that had rushed forward had arrived. Some were taking defensive positions, while others were investigating the hole in the sand.

“Hey! We’ve got a body over here! A Spirit too!” One of the guards called out. “I think she’s still alive. What should we do with her?”

For a second, Fiana looked concerned. If what little she understood from Ezekiel was true, then this was one of his friends from the Empire. Someone who had been taken away by the Cult of Light when she was just ten years old. More than enough time for them to successfully brainwash her.

But she also knew that Ezekiel had a project he was working on. Theories and attempts that would, hopefully, allow him to cure the Cult of Light’s corruption. It was one of the projects he had that was mostly on the backburner. As it hadn’t made much progress. But if it had improved, then perhaps it was something worth looking into later on.

“There should be mana shackles nearby. Put them on her, and her Spirit. We’re taking them all back to the wagon.” Fiana called out.

“Is this a Cultist?” The guard called out. The rest all armed themselves in surprise.

“I’m not certain. Before he passed out, Ezekiel said he was trying to help her. But we can’t be certain until he wakes up. Shackle her, and let’s move.” Fiana called out.

“Wait!” Shine suddenly called out, using their mana to float and speak. “You can’t put her in the shackles right now! She’ll probably die if you do.”

The guards and Fiana all jerked back as Shine started floating. Some of the guards moved to attack but Shine just bounced back up. Their blade was too tough to be destroyed by them. Fiana moved forward, cautiously. She barely recognized the voice from the experiments that were meant to let Shine talk, but she thought that they hadn’t been finished yet.

“Shine? Is that you?” She asked. Frantically, she waved down the guards that were attacking the Void Spirit. They cautiously stopped, but remained ready, just in case.

“Yes. It’s new. But please, you can’t put the shackles on Riley right now. Ezekiel just attempted to purify her mana. It seems to have worked, since she didn’t die in the explosion.” Shine said. “She’ll have practically no mana at all for a while. Worse, there’s a chance her spirit pathways have been damaged. Putting her in mana shackles might kill her.”

“... We can’t trust her.” Fiana said. “What if she wakes up when we aren’t expecting it?”

“Have the Life Mage inspect her.” Shine said, turning to point at the only Life Mage that was there with them. “He can confirm that Riley can’t do anything.”

Fiana turned to the Life Mage in question. Riley was still unconscious and had been pulled from the hole in the sand, alongside Celia. Both were worse for wear, with burns over most of their bodies. Something that surprised everyone there, as it would take a great deal of heat, or corrosive light, to burn an Adept Flame Mage. Let alone Flame Spirit.

Carefully, the Life Mage examined Riley and Celia. Turning his head, he nodded to Fiana. They were severely injured, and it wasn’t possible for them to use their magic without exacerbating their injuries. Putting them in shackles would almost certainly kill them.

“Fine. No shackles. At least not now. But they stay under watch. If they try to escape, or do anything that might be threatening, we’ll deal with them.” Fiana ordered. There was some grumbling, as no one trusted a potential cultist. But they trusted the Life Mage’s diagnosis.

“For now, Shine, I think you and Ezekiel have some explaining to do. But since Ezekiel is unconscious, you’ll need to tell me what happened.” Fiana stepped forward and grabbed Shine from the air. Allowing Shine to release the anti-gravity on their weight.

“I can’t talk aloud for that long. It actually takes a lot of mana.” Shine said nervously.

“Then I’ll hold onto you the whole time, and we can talk mentally.” Fiana stated as she turned to walk back to the wagons with the rest of the group. “You’re not getting out of this.”

Shine couldn’t help but regret the fact that he couldn’t fall unconscious right now. Joining Ezekiel in oblivion would be much more preferable than having to explain their actions over the past few weeks. Ezekiel was going to be in so much trouble when he woke up.