Tale of Eldramir

Silence pervaded the Void, with Ezekiel’s face twisted in confusion and the Remnant continued to float in front of him like nothing was wrong. It took him a moment to process what the Remnant had just said. He just stood there, blinking, until finally he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Why, in the Cruor infested hells, would you believe that I would want to free the Broods just to clear my contract?” he asked, his hands flexing as he silently reached out to his bond with Shine. “I have no reason to do such a thing! It might take a couple of decades, but there’s no reason to believe that I won’t reach Tier six on my own. I have no reason to release the Broods!”

“That is what every other Void Mage I deemed to have the potential to fulfill their contract has said,” the Remnant replied, crossing its arms in disdain as it looked down at Ezekiel. “The last one is one that even you know of. As you have no doubt learned, Drake Cross is not the reason the world is in its current state. Had I, and the other temples, not trusted the Void Mages so easily, perhaps humanity would still have time to save itself.”

The sheer vitriol in the Remnant’s voice was enough to send Ezekiel reeling back. While it hadn’t changed its posture, he could tell that the spiritual form of the Remnant was tense.

Looking more closely at it, he realized that its fingers were digging into its arms. It was holding itself back from lashing out in anger.

“Besides, we both know that while you have no reason now, all it would take is a few specific people being taken away to make you rush into the Desolate Land. Regardless of the fate of the rest of humanity.”

Ezekiel’s eyes narrowed in thought before they opened wide.

His loved ones. Riley, Shine, Wendy, Ellen, his mother, and even his father. If there was a chance to save them from death, or whatever other fate might await them, he knew that he would undoubtedly do something stupid. He had done so before, so he could understand why the Remnant believed that he would do so again. Something that he couldn’t deny.

But he also knew that there was a limit to how far he would go. After all, what point would there be in saving the people he cared about if there was no longer a world for them to live in; if there were no longer other people for them to live with.

Worse yet, even with the creation of the Cruor, it wasn’t possible for humans to live in the Desolate Lands full time. Nor was it possible to convert anyone other than Void Mages into Cruor.

Freeing the Broods would lead to his family’s death. Any salvation for them would be temporary.

His best, and only, choice was to save the world through his own power.

“I’m sorry you’ve constantly been disappointed over the millennia, but even if my family was at stake, releasing the Broods wouldn’t be worth it. Their rescue would be temporary, and it wouldn’t matter in the long run.” Ezekiel glared at the Remnant, his mana channeling through him once again. “The only option I have is to save humanity as a whole.”

Yet the Remnant did not seem convinced.

“Does that include the Cruor? Were they not born from humanity?” Though its voice had become monotone once more, Ezekiel could tell that the Remnant was mocking him.

He shook his head, nonetheless. Refusing to rise to the provocation.

“My loved ones cannot become Cruor. Only Void Mages can, and I am the only one in my family.”

The Remnant unfolded its arms. Ezekiel tensed up as it leaned toward him. He was wishing that Shine was still with him now, but the final back up plan wouldn’t work if they were.

“For how much longer do you think that will be the case?” it whispered in Ezekiel’s ear.

For a moment, he wondered what the Remnant was talking about, but a pit slowly formed in his stomach as he understood.

“That’s not possible... It's been centuries, and no progress has been made in converting humans with elemental mana in them.” The more he spoke, the more Ezekiel knew he needed to get out of here.

If what the Remnant was implying was true, then he needed to take further precautions to ensure that things didn’t take a turn for the worse. He almost didn’t want it to clarify itself.

The thought of himself and his family being converted to Cruor might’ve been something others were willing to do for safety, but it was just another form of slavery to a higher power. What the Broods would do with the rest of humanity converted was something he didn’t want to know. He could tell that it would just give him nightmares.

However, it seemed like his fears were going to be confirmed, since the Remnant continued to speak. “You saw for yourself that the power of the Broods and the power of the Ancients can be combined. What do you think the Broods will do once they break free? They might have tried to wipe out humanity before, but now, when they know that they can make an army, and that they might stand a chance of reaching for the stars, and wiping out the [Outsiders], do you think that they would waste such precious resources?”

For a moment, Ezekiel was surprised. From what he’d been told, the Remnant shouldn’t have been made aware of what had happened to the first Ancient Radiant. For now, however, that was not as important as the other thing.

The memory of the humans that had attacked Eldramir thousands of years ago flashed through his mind. The Broods were nowhere near that powerful. Not if they were only Tier six entities.

“They would be destroyed! Are they really so stupid as to want to break the barrier [Shrouding] this world just to fight a war they can’t win?” Ezekiel didn’t want to believe it, but he had a feeling that his worries were correct.

“If they had been informed of the true power of the [Outsiders] then perhaps, they would not, but just like me, they don’t know the full story. Only that they were originally created to defend this world from humanity and other [Outsiders]. Given how weak humanity is, at least in the beginning, I find it difficult to believe that they would consider humanity a threat. Not when they have conquered all the ones that are here.” The Remnant’s words rang through Ezekiel’s head.

He wanted to deny it, but if the humanity that was born on Eldramir was the only humanity that the Broods were aware of then it was highly likely that they couldn’t even fathom the existence of a Tier eight being. Tier seven was probably what they thought was the one and only peak.

A ‘click’ was felt in the back of his mind. The bond that had been weak since entering the Remnant’s power core strengthened once more.

‘I’m ready when you are,’ Shine’s voice echoed through Ezekiel’s soul.

‘One moment. I have one more thing I need to know.’ Even as he held his Spirit back, Ezekiel prepared himself all the same.

“Remnant... With this information, there are a few more things I want to know.” He kept his voice low and slow, to present the image of being unsure of himself.

The Remnant narrowed its gaze at him but seemed unbothered.

“Ask, but I expect answers from you as well. I have already provided more information that you need.” The Remnant seemed to ooze superiority, even as Ezekiel took on a defensive stance.

“How do you know all this? The Ancient Void told me that you weren’t made aware of everything that was within the memory.” While he knew that the Remnants were made from portions of Eldramir’s soul, he was explicitly told that the Remnants’ weren’t made aware of everything.

The Remnant scoffed, “Each Remnant has different memories of the time before our creation. Most of us shared so that the others would be equal. I happened to be given knowledge of how Eldramir came to be the, compared to before, broken husk that it is now, and knew that the origins of humanity would be too devastating for most, so I kept it secret.”

Ezekiel processed that but knew that there was more. This explained one bit of the Remnant’s knowledge, but not how it knew about the fact that the first Ancient Spirit was dead, and what happened after it fell.

“The origins of the Radiant Chaos, and the death of the first Ancient Radiant, were provided to me by Drake Cross, who returned here not long after cracking the seal, and being gifted the power of the Chaos Brood. Alongside a hint of Radiant magic that he had used to infect others. Something I know you have already witnessed for yourself. Needless to say, after he tried to convince me to join him, I did my best to destroy him, but his new powers allowed him to escape before I could strike him down.”

Ezekiel didn’t know what to say. The Remnant had inadvertently answered his next question, pertaining to what the connection between the Cult of Light and the Radiant Chaos Brood was. He had already connected the dots some time ago, but he needed that confirmation.

“Now, my question for you,” the Remnant threw its arms open, forming constructs that were poised to attack Ezekiel at a moment’s notice. “Where is your Spirit? You entered here with a Sword that I know held its mana, but it disappeared without my noticing, and even now, I cannot sense it. So, where is it!?”

Though he couldn’t be certain, Ezekiel felt like the Remnant had noticed his bond with Shine strengthening in stability once again. He focused on the situation at hand, however, since the situation was taking a turn for the worse.

Slowly turning his head to look at the hundreds, if not thousands, of constructs made of Void Panes in front of him, Ezekiel could tell that the Remnant was no longer fooling around. Nor did it seem willing to indulge him any longer.

“I thought you needed me alive? This seems fairly lethal.” A drop of sweat rolled down his face.

“You paved the way to grant the Void Mages the means of reaching the same height as yourself. I do not wish to kill you, but since you are not irreplaceable, I will do what I must to ensure that you cannot fulfill your contract by freeing the Broods. Those that come after you would not be bound as you are, and I could make them swear to never release the Broods, under any circumstances.”

Though it hadn’t said as much, Ezekiel could tell that the Remnant meant to enforce contracts that would prevent the Void Mages of the future from breaking the seal.

“You truly love humanity, don’t you?” This level of dedication was something that Ezekiel could appreciate. If it wasn’t threatening his life. “It’s almost enough for me to not resent you for what you’ve done. Rather, what you’ve tried to do.”

“Where is your Spirit?!” This time, the Remnant didn’t go along with Ezekiel’s conversation. It simply moved its constructs closer.

In an instant, Ezekiel’s perception of time sped up as the world slowed down. A second later, he had focused his mana into a sphere in his chest. Letting it explode outwards, he filled the world with a flash of light, while also bringing an arm down in front of him.

In that instant, all the constructs tried to move forward, even as the Remnant recoiled from the impact, but were stopped by the force of Ezekiel’s spell. At the same time, a rift appeared in front of him in the space where he had dragged his hand through.

It was a jagged and uneven abomination of a spell. One that he knew wouldn’t remain for long, but that didn’t matter. It just had to last for long enough.

“Come on! I can’t hold this for too long!” Shine called out from the other side of the rift.

They floated within a [Closed Space] that they had created the moment Ezekiel had taken that final step into the Void Temple’s core. Born from their personal [Understanding] it was a spell that wasn’t even kept as a part of the Ancient Legacy. Only alluded to as something that would be possible.

With that in mind, it was the only spell they could think of that the Remnant wouldn't have the power to counter, or even react to.

With a hurried step, Ezekiel crossed the boundary into the [Closed Space], the rift connecting the two utterly separate [Domains] destabilized in the next instant.

All that Ezekiel heard as it closed was the enraged scream of the Remnant as it tried to come after him, and the joyful laugh from Shine at having one upped the archaic Spirit.

----------

It was several hours later that the cathedral and those working within proximity of the Void Temple found themselves going through a minor panic. On the outside, numerous Scholars were milling about after the bells of the cathedral rang in a specific pattern, unplanned and unscheduled.

Sitting inside the meeting chamber within the Grand Cathedral, Wilma and the other Grand Scholars in the capital city of Quintessa had answered the emergency summons sent out by the Void Remnant. A large Com-Slate was on one side of the room. Usually hidden, it was now revealed to the room and displayed the image of the Remnant in full size.

There had been murmurings filled with concerned questions pertaining to what had happened. For the Remnant to have summoned them, only something that could spell the end of the world could have happened. Such was the level of the emergency recall that was released.

“I am declaring Ezekiel Luminance an enemy of humanity, and he is, as of now, wanted, dead or alive,” the Remnant said, its voice filled with malice.

The Grand Scholars’ eyes widened, and the room remained silent as it took a moment to process what had just been said. Until Wilma decided to speak up, her eyes were soft and dull, and a frown was plastered on her face.

“If that is-”

“Now hold on just a minute!” one Grand Scholar rose from his seat, cutting Wilma off, “Honored Remnant, if we are to do this, then we need to know the reason! Exalt Ezekiel is one of the most meritorious Hunters in the world. One that has contributed more in his relatively short life than any other Scholar we have had, in the history of the Church of Ten! We deserve to know what has happened to warrant such an order!”

“The secrets of the Void are not for you to know. Not only can I not tell you, due to the bindings placed upon me from my creation, but such knowledge would throw this world into chaos.” The slate that was displaying the Remnant glowed brighter as it released more mana, but due to the limitations placed on it and the other Remnants, it couldn’t act beyond the boundaries of the temple.

Another Grand Scholar was about to speak up, but a pressure brought about by Wilma’s mana forced them all into their seats. A second later, it became difficult to breathe as the air began to thin from the room. Usually, such power would be difficult for a Legend to do against so many peers, but with the connection she had with the Void Remnant, she was currently borrowing its power.

“The Remnant has been aiding humanity for thousands of years. It has proven itself to be a guardian whose sole purpose is to keep humanity safe. If it says that Ezekiel Luminance cannot be allowed to remain loose in the world, then we shall accede to its request.” Wilman still had a frown on her face, but as she slumped into her seat, she seemed to be resigned to what they would all need to do.

“Since when did we follow the methods of the Cult of Light!? Obeying the command of a higher being without question. Without consensus!” Though his words were stuttered from the pressure, the original speaker against the Remnant’s command still managed to voice his thoughts.

“How dare you!” Wilma stood from her seat and the pressure in the room increased. “The Remnant is the only reason half the knowledge we have of the Void Exists! It was one of the ones that was able to prepare us for the Cruor when they first started the war hundreds of years ago!”

By this point, the other Grand Scholars were actively combining their mana pressure to defy Wilma’s. It was difficult, but with a dozen of them combined they were able to shrug off even her reinforced mana after a few seconds.

“That’s enough,” the Remnant spoke up again, this time its tone was more even and controlled.

The Scholars all returned to their seats, though everyone was looking at Wilma with a glare. She avoided their gazes, but straightened in her seat, utterly unrepentant.

“I cannot tell you everything. Just know that Void Mages of a certain caliber have the potential to affect the seals on the Brood Masters. Due to contractual reasons, Ezekiel Luminance cannot swear any oaths that would prevent this from happening. Worse yet, even though he has not reached the strength of the Ancient Spirits, his [Understanding] has. Which is how he escaped my [Domain] within the Temple. Thus, while he could not release them all at once, he could release them one by one. Something that the Broodlords will soon learn of. At which point, it is possible that they will forsake the war entirely, and simply act together as one to capture him.”

Jaws dropped in shock, and the fight went out of the Grand Scholars with a tired sigh.

“... What of the other Void Mages and Hunters?” one of the Grand Scholars asked. A different one from before.

“They will need to be bound by contracts that will kill them if they get too close to the seals within the Desolate Lands. Only after they reach the Legendary Tier, but they cannot be allowed to fall prey to the Cruor and brought to the Broods to be forced to aid them.” The Remnant’s words softened, at the mention of the other Void Mages in the world.

Although they were a threat, no one who wasn’t an insane monster like the cultists of the Cult of Light, wanted to single out a person just because of what they were born with.

“Is there anything good that can come from a Void Mage becoming more powerful?” another Scholar asked, the question broached a topic pertaining to Ezekiel’s higher power, and the potential threat that he apparently posed.

“The power to release them is also the power to keep them locked away. Binding them with contracts ensures that they cannot do anything that would let the Broods break free, leaving the only option for them to be to take actions that would aid humanity.” Given the Remnant’s previous words regarding Ezekiel, the Grand Scholars easily figured out what the issue was.

Silence pervaded the meeting room once more, and it appeared as though the gathering was winding down. No more questions were raised, and it was apparent that any prior complaints were no longer an issue.

“We shall do as you have instructed. With the reason we give to the public being that, while not a criminal, Ezekiel Luminance poses a threat due to being the central target of the Broodlords. One that they will stop at nothing to capture and convert. To keep his powerful falling into the Cruor’s hands, he must be killed or captured.”

This was the final decision that the Grand Scholars collectively came up with. A compromise between their acceptance of issuing the warrant for Ezekiel and following their laws for only doing so for the most heinous of crimes. Especially since this was one of the most respected figures allied to the Church of Ten in the world.

Before the order could be given, however, a frantic knocking emanated from the closed and sealed door. Upon being granted entry, a messenger nearly fell into the room due to her rushed movements.

The Remnant had faded away to ensure that its communication wasn’t discovered. Its presence being an open, but not advertised, secret.

Yet, once the messenger spoke, the Grand Scholars could only rush outside themselves. Panic and worry flooded their veins, even as they finally got outside.

Only to see several screens in the air, all filled with the image of Ezekiel Luminance.

----------

It had been a few minutes since Ezekiel had escaped from the core room in the Temple of the Void. The [Closed Space] was still connected to the temple, but with the anchors that they had placed earlier, along with speeding up his perceptions and reactions, Shine was able to drop the [Closed Space] while Ezekiel ensured that they could [Jump] away.

“We need to figure out how to [Jump] from within our [Domain] to outside of it as soon as possible.” Ezekiel leaned against a tree while he sat on the ground.

While it hadn’t been too taxing, he and Shine were still mentally drained. The amount of information that they had received was significant. Plus, the revelations were more than enough to ensure that the two of them would be busy planning for contingencies, and doing their best to ensure that their loved ones were safe.

“I think we have bigger problems to worry about. The Remnant won’t just let you go.” Shine was currently manifesting their avatar and floating next to where Ezekiel was resting.

The pair were several dozens of kilometers away from the city. Well within the patrol ranges for the Hunters, but not so close as to be immediately noticed, even if they weren’t using a [Shroud] to stay hidden.

“...I don’t like this. It’s almost certain that they’ll put out a warrant for my arrest, but the fact that I haven’t done anything wrong irks me.” He was accustomed to being blamed for stupid reasons. The Cult and the Empire being the ones that were the most obvious perpetrators of such things. “Perhaps we should give them a reason this time. While also letting the world know that the world doesn’t have the time to try raising another Ancient Void user.”

Through their link, Ezekiel could tell that Shine was confused.

“How do you suppose we do that? Go on a rampage and break every law there is so that the Church will remove all our merits?” Shine sarcastically remarked while idly spinning in the air.

“Not exactly...” Reaching into his Void Pouch, Ezekiel pulled out a Com-slate.

This one was much larger than normal and was covered in Runic formations that were far more complicated than the norm. It also had patterns that were reminiscent of the ones sent out by the Empire over seven years ago. The ones that conveyed the message of the prior Willowbrush Emperor.

“What were you thinking of telling them? Also, who were you planning on letting know?” Shine had worked on the new Com-Slate alongside Ezekiel, so they had some idea of what Ezekiel planned on doing.

“Well... to answer the latter first, I figured we could tweak and over charge it, just enough to resonate with the Anchors in the city. Which would then resonate with the other Com-Slates, and so on.”

The energy requirements would be extreme, but with three Steps of Tier five mana, Ezekiel believed that they could do it. At least for long enough to get the message through.

“That would affect every Com-Slate in the world. What with them all being connected via pure Mana crystals infused with Void Mana.” While the scale was shocking, Shine didn’t sound surprised at what Ezekiel had suggested. “What’s the message?”

“I figured we could just tell them what the Ancient Void told me.” Ezekiel shrugged while Shine goggled at him in open mouthed shock. “That, plus the fact that I’m pretty sure the Broods are going to break free within the next few decades at most.”

“What!? How can you tell?” This was news to Shine, since Ezekiel hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort previously.

“It’s just a guess, but if the seals need to be refueled, either by me or by releasing the Broods so that the mana keeping them locked up can recover, I can only assume that the current consumption of mana is greater than the recovery. Which would explain why the Broodlords are more powerful, even if only by a couple of Steps, than before.” Ezekiel cupped his chin and leaned in while his mind raced. “Plus this war... in truth, it could’ve been far more devastating, but instead, it seems like the Cruor are more focused on gathering people up, and maintaining a hold on their expanded territories. Almost like they’re cultivating us like cattle, or grain, and are now reaping us for the harvest.”

“You think that they’re using the mana gathered from the fighting to further chip away at the seals. If that’s true, then it doesn’t matter if we aren’t in the picture anymore. The Broods will break free even without a Void user releasing them.” Shine wobbled in the air.

Ezekiel could tell via their bond that the Void Spirit was losing focus as they followed along with Ezekiel’s thought process. He hoped that they would both be able to get a bit of relief with this information being revealed. If they were on a timer, then it would mean that the world would have a reason to keep them around.

“The biggest problem will be the Cult of Light. No doubt they won’t believe us, but even so, the idea of an entire Empire now being sworn to the creators of the Cruor will at least cause some chaos.” The thought of his mortal enemies suffering brought a smile to his face. “It’s just a shame that the leaders of the Cult won’t just switch sides entirely. Given the mind control, I doubt that they’ll just implode.”

The consequences of revealing the Cult of Light’s true ruler were undoubtedly going to be significant, but he found himself not caring.

Now, with their immediate plans in place, the two got to work setting up the formations and rituals needed to connect to every Com-Slate in the world.

----------

In every city, town, and village in the world with a Com-Slate available, said Artifacts began to glow with opalescent light as a foreign spell began to affect them. One that caused damaged and smaller ones to simply break and turn to dust from the power forced through them.

At first it was shocking, but then, as the image of Ezekiel appeared in the air, projected by the Com-Slates that were so much more advanced than the ones he’d made over a decade ago.

Yet, people managed to calm down after a few seconds as Ezekiel explained himself. Then he told them why he was doing this, and the shock returned, followed by horror and paralyzing awe as Ezekiel resonated with the crystals in all the Com-Slates, allowing the memories and knowledge to be conveyed directly from his soul. The display formations from the Com-Slates then took over, and the memories themselves began to play for the world to see.

“As you can no doubt figure out for yourselves, we are in trouble. Especially me, since I’m now the most wanted man in the world. So, I’m just going to say this... You don’t know what I’m capable of, not entirely. So, just know that I can make it so neither side will win. If you go after the ones that I love.” Ezekiel’s warning was for the sake of bluffing his enemies into not targeting his family, but he wasn’t entirely lying.

While it would be difficult, he had a few ideas that would allow him to go through with his threat. None of them were preferable to being left alone, but that didn’t matter at this point.

“With that in mind, for the Void users of the world, and for my family... I’m sorry that things have come to this. If there was another way, then you know I would try to go for it, but at this point, keeping this information secret would be more detrimental than anything else. So, please grow stronger, for it will be the only way to ensure that this world is saved properly.”

A moment later, the Com-Slates all around Eldramir blinked off. The people that had seen it were all in a silent state of awe. Until, finally, people began to talk about what they had seen.

Some nearly went crazy, screaming about how Ezekiel couldn’t be believed, but the facts were there, and the power of a Mythical being couldn’t be ignored. Why would he need to lie about something like this? His reasons were laid out for all to see, and many could tell that, yes, this was the best way to keep himself from being the number one target of the world under false pretenses.

In some places, fighting happened in the streets, in others, people just sat down in silence, the knowledge that the world would likely end within the decade was too much for them to react to.

Others were worried, not for the fate of the world, but the fate of a son, a brother, a husband. A man who was now shouldering the enmity of the entire world.

Yet the target of it all. The one who had revealed the lost secrets of the world, wasn’t aware of any of this. For after they had completed his message, he had a different problem he needed to deal with.