Tale of Eldramir

Spinning around in a flash, the Cultist Exalt threw her hands up and protected herself from a [Void Pierce] sent at her from behind. Ezekiel’s [Jump] had taken him to a few dozen meters away, and he now floated in the air under his own power, with just as much ease as if he was wearing his Spirit Armor.

Endaria’s face twisted into a vicious snarl as she glared at Ezekiel. But he just smirked in amusement. While he would usually be on the back foot in a fight with an Exalted Hunter, because he was fighting alone, the fact that she was so drained from her battle with Wolken meant his mana was currently greater than hers.

“This is gonna be fun!” he said with a smile stretched wide across his face.

“Anathe-”

Before she could finish, Ezekiel threw a punch, and an invisible force shattered the protective constructs that surrounded the Cultist Exalt. She went flying backward so fast that for those at a lower Tier, it seemed like she went from flying in one moment, to being embedded in a mountain the next.

Taking a moment to bask in the sensation of reaching a new level of power, Ezekiel’s face settled into a calm and neutral expression. His body felt loose as he shook himself out. The touch of the wind and the presence of the various elements of the world filled him with joy.

A higher level of awareness meant that he was keeping track of everything around him, and his [Reinforcement] meant that his mind was running far faster than the norm.

Reaching out with his new perception, he sought out the location of the Kindled family members that had caused him so many problems in the maze.

For a brief moment, he could feel a blip at the edge of his [Domain]; nearly ten times larger than before. It was a flash of Radiant mana from several sources. One of which was a broken mess of a Hunter that was bleeding mana like a faucet.

“It looks like I’ll have to deal with them later,” he muttered as the rapidly fleeing Kindled family members escaped his sensory range.

Even with his enhanced perception, they were moving fast enough that he would have trouble if they were Exalts. But at the moment, the high of having so much power at his fingertips was too much for him to feel humble. The thought of crushing his enemies by simply putting pressure on them with his mana crossed his mind a few times.

An explosion of wood and stone grabbed his attention.

Clad in verdant Spirit Armor, Endaria now wielded two large glaives. Each one shone brightly from the mana she was channeling through them. The air seemed to vibrate as Ezekiel watched the Cultist Exalt ready her attack.

For a moment, he remained relaxed. His confidence brimming as he considered Endaria’s mana.

Then he recalled his fight with Wolken, and a moment before his danger sense warned him, he [Jumped] out of the way as two leaf-like wings sprouted from the Life Exalt’s back. A moment later, she was flying through the space that Ezekiel had just vacated.

His own body began to shine with opalescent light as he flooded it with mana. That attack had been faster than he could perceive. It was clear to him that Endaria’s current armaments were far more lethal than he had been prepared to face. Though it did bring a question to his mind.

Why hadn’t she used this against Wolken?

“You seem surprised,” Endaria called out. “Be glad you get to see this. I couldn’t risk it when Wolken was here. His ability to manipulate the battlefield and read airflows as a Tempest Hunter mean that he can predict my offensive faster than even you can. But since he’s not here, I can truly do my best.”

Two [Domains] now actively clashed as Endaria practically burned her mana to push against Ezekiel. He tensed up in preparation but found himself throwing his body out of the way once more. This time, there was no reprieve once he had moved. A second [Jump] was followed by a third, then a forth, then a fifth. He continually forced himself to [Jump] out of the way as Endaria moved faster than anything he had seen that wasn’t a Tempest, Radiant, or Lightning Hunter.

“What the hell!?” Ezekiel tried to [Reinforce] his body, but even then, all that did was give him a little bit more breathing room. He was so focused on staying out of Endaria’s reach, that he wasn’t even able to take shots at the fleeing Cultists.

This was truly confusing, but at the same time, Ezekiel found himself becoming more and more clear headed. The high from his breakthrough had faded in the face of this new life and death situation.

Thoughts raced through his head at a rapid pace. He watched as Endaria moved, catching whatever glimpses he could in order to analyze her movements, and hopefully figure something out.

‘That’s it!’ he looked at the glowing flower emblazoned on her chest. ‘She’s not the one focusing on the spells. It’s her Spirit. Even if she’s got less mana than me, she’s got more spells, since her Spirit can multiply her control of her magic.’

Ezekiel threw up a barrier around himself that cracked as Endaria slammed her two glaives’ into it with enough force to crack open a mountain. For a moment, everything froze, and Ezekiel got a better look at Endaria’s form while she was still.

The wings sprouting from her back were clearly constructs that were being manipulated by her Spirit. However, there were also thin roots and floral tendrils that completely covered her body in a mesh-like weave. They faintly glowed with Runic patterns.

“Self-Enchantment!” his exclamation was met with a bark of laughter from his opponent. “And your current spells are using far less mana than your bigger ones... Just how many secrets have you been keeping!?”

“Not as many as you, or any other Exalt in this world! Now, shut up and die!” Endaria screamed as she seemed to explode with verdant light.

At that moment, Ezekiel knew that he would be lucky to get a tie out of this battle. His enemy was more than willing to throw away her life to kill him. At the same time, however, even though he wanted to kill the crazy Cultist, he also knew that getting out of this alive was more important.

“Dammit!” He channeled as much mana as he could into his barrier, closing up the cracks that formed as Endaria tried to crush him in roots and vines.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and then let himself slip backward, between the cracks in [Space]. His body disappeared from the material world, and he lost his ability to breathe.

Everything around him took on a monochrome color, and a sense of danger and panic set in within seconds. Every bit of self-preservation he had told him that he needed to leave this place. That it was wrong, and that he didn’t belong here. The fact he felt like he was being pulled apart while his blood was boiling made things even worse. But his enhanced physique kept him together, for now.

Yet, as the barrier that he had been maintaining was crushed out of existence, the roots and vines that tried to grab him failed to do so. They simply passed through his body like he wasn’t there.

He focused himself and [Jumped] as far away as he could. All while squashing down the ever-growing sense of terror in his veins. Even when his [Jump] didn’t take him where he wanted to go, with space twisting, warping, and throwing him around without direction, Ezekiel didn’t stop until he was far away from Endaria. Only then, heedless of his current location, just knowing that there was no one else around for hundreds of kilometers, did he finally flee the space between spaces that he had escaped into.

The drain on his mana was instant, and he nearly collapsed from fatigue. His body shook with painful tremors as the damage from the vacuum he had been surrounded by was finally allowed to affect him. It took everything he had not to scream and give away his position.

But he stayed silent. Not a sound escaped his lips as slowly channeled his mana in order to recover. When he could finally move without clenching his jaw to keep from yelling, he crawled over to the shade of a tree, and allowed himself to enter a state of meditation.

He still needed to recover, but he would be safe enough for now. When he refilled his mana, he would figure out where he was, and get back to his camp as fast as he could.

As far as he was concerned, he’d had enough excitement for today.

----------

Endaria was still as she slowly breathed in and out while looking at the broken remains of the Twin Peaks Fortress.

Upon finding out that Ezekiel had managed to escape her grasp, she had allowed her rage to take control of her mana. Her outburst had caused the flora that still remained to grow out of control. A sea of thorny roses that came in a myriad of colors filled the region.

“Damn him... Damn him and damn the Ancient Void who blessed him.” She reared back, taking in a deep breath in order to scream. “Why did you bless them with your power! You, whose power exists only to destroy, and leave nothing behind!”

Her words spread across the sky, but by this point she was the only one around for dozens, if not hundreds, of kilometers. With all three forces having successfully fled.

Standing on her shoulder, a small flower shaped Spirit with several limbs reached up to caress her face. The tears of rage and hate that streamed down her face were wiped away.

“You’re right... At this point, it no longer matters... So long as the Empire is safely in our hands, we will retain control over at least half the world. That will be enough. At least for now.” She sighed, and dropped to the ground where a carriage and several floral beasts took shape.

Her hands shook for a second, and a few pained gasps escaped her before she managed to calm down. The side effects of performing such high-level magic were finally taking a toll on her. “For now, let’s get back to our territory. There is nothing left here for us, and my fellow Lights need to be informed of what has happened.”

Her spirit leapt off her shoulder as she climbed into the carriage. Her movements were stiff and mechanical. As if every step was painful. The little floral Spirit grew to the size of a human and took the position of the carriage driver.

It took off like a rocket, leaving the desolate remains of the Twin Peaks Fortress.

Hours later, once all the Hunters were confirmed to be gone, Spirits and beasts slowly made their way back into the area. Cautious and scared, the land would remain altered for years to come.

----------

When the forces of the Guild and Alliance families had originally set out for the Twin Peaks Fortress it had been early in the morning. Now, several hours later, those that had been trapped in the maze of light had gathered around the fire, eating and drinking in silence as they awaited the man who had led them through the fortress, and saved them when they were about to die.

Only three people who had been at the fortress weren’t there right now. But considering the circumstances behind their absence, no one was going to begrudge them for it.

At the moment it was quiet, and those that hadn’t taken part wisely remained a fair distance away as they kept watch of their surroundings. While they had dealt a harsh blow to the allied Kindled, Cult, and Imperial forces, that didn’t mean they could let their guard down.

“So... does anybody know what happened to the girl?” one of the Hunters quietly asked the Shroud family member sitting next to him. A woman with blue hair that had the emblem of her family emblazoned on her back.

“I don’t know for certain... but from what I could tell, whatever was done to her was practically soul breaking,” the Shroud family member replied in an equally quiet voice. “But to think that they would do such a thing to a main branch with their favored element... Not even the worst of those still in the Alliance would treat their family members that way. Sure, those without their family’s primary element are relegated to lesser roles in a given family, but treatment like that is just too much.”

The reminder of the Morathi families’ treatment to other elements was disturbing for some of the Guild members, but no one said anything. Just the venom in her voice when she spoke of Ellen’s state was enough to send chills down their spines.

All of them made sure to drop the subject. They had succeeded in their mission, and their enemies had suffered a bloody nose, if nothing else. So, for now it could be counted as a win.

Before anyone else could say something, a quiet bell rang across the wind. The hidden proximity alarm that was lined along the border of the camp. Specifically, it was created to alert those within it of any powerful force coming from the Kindled forces’ territory.

As one, the Hunters in the camp prepared themselves, and a gentle breeze passed through the camp. Wolken appeared in the dead center, just above the bonfire where the others had gathered.

“Calm down... It’s just our missing Void Hunter,” he said to the wary Hunters.

They all relaxed upon hearing his words, and a few seconds later, a figure floated down from the sky. His clothing was tattered, and he looked worse for wear, but he stood tall and proud. An aura of might and majesty, belonging only to Exalts that decided to show off emanated from his figure.

“Hey... sorry I’m late. That Cult bitch had a few tricks she wasn’t willing to show you.” Ezekiel idly scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Wolken just sighed, even as the Hunters all clamored to find out what had happened.

It wasn’t for another hour before he managed to get away. His first stop was the medical tent.

----------

When Ezekiel had first entered the tent, Wendy and Riley both turned to him, while Shine floated over from where they were leaning against a support pole. While he wanted to see Ellen as soon as possible, the healers were still running through a few final checks, so he was stuck in a small waiting area that was separated by several privacy screens.

He was given a brief rundown regarding what had happened since he’d sent them off beforehand. In turn, he summarized what he had been through when fighting Endaria.

Wolken grunted in frustration when he had heard that Endaria was holding back.

“It’s not unexpected. I also hold back, for the most part, when fighting. Even in more life and death situations... The cost is too large when depending so much on our Spirit’s support.”

Ezekiel looked at him with a raised brow, as did Riley. The Exalt just sighed.

“Let me put it this way; while her fighting prowess clearly increased, her soul would’ve been burnt out within a few more minutes, if that. You said it yourself; her Spirit was the one casting those more advanced spells. It’s like spraying oil on a wood fire. It makes the flames bigger, but it also burns the wood up faster. No Exalt before you had ever broken through without their Spirit dragging them up, after all.”

The reminder that there were consequences regarding the use of higher magic than ones’ Tier was surprising, as Ezekiel hadn’t had these issues before.

“Is it like when a Mage advances to a Step too high for their soul?” Shine asked from where they now rested on Ezekiel’s hip.

“It is close. It’s more that, since Exalted Hunters, prior to Ezekiel, don’t have their own [Core] they don’t have the physical support to perform at such high levels for long. That’s why most of us stick to larger area spells that effect greater areas. When fighting those at lower Tiers, this is a fine way to fight. When fighting other Exalts, however, it becomes a drawn-out slog where things could go either way.”

Ezekiel thought about it, and when he thought about his escape into the Space-Between-Spaces, he realized that, even though Void Mages already have significantly stronger bodies in general, if he hadn’t become even stronger when he’d broken through then his body would have exploded in an instant.

“I guess that explains the only reason why I managed to survive, even with a superior amount of mana.” He had thought that it was simply a matter of experience, though, the fact that she had seemingly held back so many times in the past had bothered him. Now that he knew it was a matter of necessity, rather than a personal choice, things made a lot more sense.

“Pardon me, Exalts, but we are finished with the girl now.” A healer stepped out from behind the nearest privacy screen. She was slouched over, and clearly exhausted from whatever she had been doing. Ezekiel immediately grew concerned when he saw this.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked.

Wendy and Riley had begun rushing forward but stopped when Ezekiel spoke. They looked at the healer and waited for her answer.

The healer sighed but answered all the same. “Your sister’s soul is nearly on the brink of collapse. There is some sort of foreign essence that has dug in deep. It reacted the moment we tried to do a deep dive in order to scan her condition. As it is, we’re not sure how she’s even managed to hold together this long. It’s even spread through the bond she has with her Spirit.”

Upon finishing her explanation, Ezekiel instantly knew what was happening. He turned to Riley, whose face had gone pale. It was the exact same thing that had happened to her, when she had been forcefully [Blessed], though not mutated, years ago in Tarquessa.

“... Gather all the Death and Life Mages that are good at soul healing. I know what’s going on, and I know how to remove that... thing, but I’ll need help putting back all the pieces.” Ezekiel gave Wolken a narrowed glance, stopping the Exalt from speaking up.

The Tempest Exalt stepped back and let Ezekiel proceed without issue. The healer nearly moved to hold him back, but a quick glare made her stop.

“That was an order, not a request.”

He strode forward, his eyes softened their gaze when he laid his sight on his Radiant sister. Clad in a simple hospital gown, she looked so much smaller than Wendy. As did Tina, who was lying flat on Ellen’s chest. It was obvious that the Kindled family had been treating them poorly.

‘All the more reason to make them pay.’ He took a deep breath in order to squash the feelings of rage, hate, and regret that were beginning to boil over. “Riley, you know what I’m about to do. Explain it to them and get them ready to step in at a moment’s notice.”

Without waiting for a reply, Ezekiel placed his hands on Ellen and Tina's heads.

‘Are you sure this will work? She seems to be far worse off than Riley was.’ Shine cautioned Ezekiel before he could take that final plunge.

‘... At this point, I don’t think anything else has the possibility of working. Not even another Radiant Hunter would be able to do this safely... They’d just run the risk of being corrupted.’ Ezekiel felt the question Shine was about to ask before they could say it, and simply reached out with his mana and soul. Reaching out to his sister and coming into contact with the corruption infecting her.

----------

Ezekiel looked around at the sea of golden light that surrounded him. Memories of the only other time he’d done something like this filled his mind. The only difference was that there was no red to indicate the divide between the native and foreign mana.

Everything was gold, and he didn’t know where Ellen began, or where the Radiant Lord ended.

‘I don’t think we can do this... It’s too different from when we helped Riley.” Shine’s doubts echoed through their connection with Ezekiel, but he didn’t let those worries stop him.

Instead, he focused on a small twinkle that floated near the edge of his senses. Holding out a hand, he reached out as if to grasp something that wasn’t there. Only for a string of white outlined in black to appear in his hand.

Flecks of gold lined it like small suns floating in the depths of space. The stars of Radiance that only he could see at this time.

‘What is that?” Shine asked with a gasp. Ezekiel could feel the awe in their soul as they barely managed to comprehend what they were witnessing.

‘This is the connection between me and Ellen. You see, this is something I came to [Understand] when I broke through. No matter how far apart two things may be, so long as they have interacted with each other before, they will forever be affected by that interaction. That connection born from the influence that one thing had on the other.’

Shine could barely comprehend what Ezekiel was saying, and he made sure not to simply dump the information, the [Understanding] through the bond between them. It was something he had logically known, even before achieving Tier five. Yet, to truly incorporate such a concept into his soul, to the point that it could influence his magic, was something that even his Tier five soul was barely able to contain.

Of course, while he was explaining this to Shine, the world of light around them began to tremble. The essence of the Radiant Lord was now aware that Ezekiel had the means of taking another one of the people it had [blessed] with its power away from it.

Ezekiel could tell that the Radiant Lord would rather kill his sister, than let him leave with her alive. However, the newly risen Exalt was not about to let that come to pass.

‘That’s not enough,” he muttered into the golden light. ‘If you were truly capable of stopping the Void from taking from you, then you would’ve broken free a long time ago.’

Tendrils of gold seemed to solidify, and an avatar of the Radiant Lord formed in front of Ezekiel. It partially resembled Ellen, but not enough for him to mistake it for his sister.

‘No.’ Ezekiel tightened his grip on the connection between himself and Ellen. He reached even further and connected to Tina through his sister’s bond at the same time. ‘One day we will fight for real. One day, I will save this world from your plans. But that day is not today. This avatar of yours is too weak to be a threat to me as I am.’

The string in his hand glowed brighter, and the portions of the world around him that belonged to Ellen flickered with opalescent outlines. A definite divide between Ellen and the Radiant Lord.

‘For now, disappear, and prepare yourself. This war is far from over.’

Perhaps his words were arrogant. He knew full well the difference in power between himself and the true form of the Radiant Lord. But for now, Ezekiel felt like a bit of pride in protecting his family was well warranted.

Now that he had surrounded his sister and Tina’s souls with his mana, he released the full might of his [Nothingness] backed by his [Will], upon the corruption in his Ellen’s soul.

An ear-piercing wail of pain and anger filled his mind, but he and Shine ignored it. Just a few seconds later, the mana that was not native to his sister’s soul was erased. For a little while, Ezekiel and Shine just floated there, in the strange, shared space where his and Ellen’s souls were connected. But now there was another problem to be had.

‘What about the cracks?’ Shine asked.

Examining his surroundings, Ezekiel could tell that his sister would die the moment he stopped holding her soul together. There was almost less of her left than there was the essence of the Radiant Lord. But he had still seen worse. His own soul from years ago was a good example.

So, rather than remove his mana, he created a barrier with countless seals that kept her soul in place. The cracks would not mend at this moment, but he knew a place where that could be done safely.

Doing it himself ran the risk of stretching her soul to the point that it snapped under the strain.

The Void was not entirely kind to those that were not granted its favor.

To finish things off Ezekiel waved his hand in an attempt at something new. Countless Runes took form and fused with the barrier he made. They would dictate what affected his sister’s soul.

‘That is the best that I can do right now. Any more would require me to reach the same level as the Ancients. As it is, this is already my absolute limit.’ His figure slumped in exhaustion.

Even though his voice was just a projection of his thoughts, his words came out in a tired rasp. His mana was almost drained, and the Runes he had drawn for that enchantment were more difficult than he had expected. Disregarding the fact that he wasn’t certain it would work until after he had started.

For their part, Shine just simmered in the back of Ezekiel’s mind. Questions and more were ready to burst from their soul, but they held back. They knew that Ezekiel needed his focus, and now his rest.

With a flicker of light, Ezekiel’s soul disappeared from the cracked, yet stabilized, soul of his sister. The space once more empty of any signs of life.

Ellen’s full recovery was still a way away from being achieved.