Tale of Eldramir

The grove that contained the Tree of Memories had changed in color. Time had passed since Ezekiel and Shine had first set foot in the Spirit Haven. To the point that the leaves of the trees that filled the forest around them had changed.

Snow was piled up in different areas, though none of it had entered the grove itself. With the Life Spirits having altered their canopy to ensure that the snow could reach the center.

There was silence, brought about by the absence of any Spirits in the nearby area. Not even the wind, usually constantly manipulated by Brun, was blowing through the area.

In the very center of this area, Ezekiel recoiled from where he was resting his forehead against the Tree of Memories. He frantically looked around for threats. His mind took time to settle, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he had made shackles that actually worked on him, after the last time he’d awakened and broken something, he would’ve lashed out with his magic before regaining control of himself.

It took several minutes of him rolling on the ground, the pain in his soul and the hunger in his stomach told him that he’d been out for even longer than the last time.

He’d experienced the Tree of Memories several times now, spending several accumulative months delving into the memories of different Spirits.

The life of countless different Spirits had given him perspectives that he hadn’t even considered before. Ideas on how to use his magic, even if only in reference to different elements.

“Damn it... That one was particularly long...” by this point, Ezekiel knew that the number of years he’d experienced as different Spirits was greater than the cumulative number of years he’d lived as a human. From both his current and previous life.

“Meditate. There’s no point in you doing this if you lose yourself to the memories that you’re taking in.” The voice that spoke to him seemed to come from nowhere, and Ezekiel ripped up a portion of the ground as he tried to find it.

“Calm down!” Shadows wrapped around his arms and legs, keeping him pinned and preventing him from being able to throw around more spells. “Was it another prey memory?”

Taking several deep breaths, Ezekiel finally managed to settle his mind.

“Yes... this time I was a fish. One that was captured and eaten by a tiger.” By this point, the number of Spirits he had experienced the lives of had greatly skewed his sense of hierarchy.

In some memories, he lived as a king who died in a battle of territory while commanding hundreds of Spirits that followed his every order. Yet there were even more times when he had died under a Spirit Ruler’s command, or as an unaffiliated Wild Spirit that was consumed by another Spirit for mana.

“I always knew that the lives of Wild Spirits were harsh and vicious, but never to this extent...” he muttered as he pulled himself up. The shadows pinning him down had disappeared at this point. “How long was it this time?”

“Two months. Given all the other weeks you’ve delved through memories, I can confidently say that you’ve been with us for a year and have experienced several centuries of life threatening events.” Maya stepped out of the darkness behind one of the larger trees. She stalked forward like a large cat looming over her prey.

Ezekiel couldn’t help but think that it was somewhat comical, since she was shorter than his knees, and her raccoon body meant that her movements weren’t particularly smooth.

“I see...” he reached over to his Void Pouch, which was set up against another tree. “It didn’t feel like that long... I guess the lives of different Spirits also perceive time differently.”

Pulling out some jerky and other rations, he reached out and plucked a seed from one of the trees. It flew toward him in an uneven manner. As if floating and bobbing in the water of a stream.

“Where’s Brun?” he asked, but Maya ignored him, so he focused on the spell he was bringing forth instead. Though he made note to bring it up again later. He was finally reaching the end of his patience with the secrets the Tempest Spirit had been keeping.

With a few waves of his hand, the seed seemed to age until it became a sapling. A small twig with lots of roots and a few small leaves began to sprout, only for the tiny tree to wilt from a lack of nutrients.

When this happened, however, it wasn’t a linear amount of growth. Instead, the growth slowed at times, which allowed him to direct it. Eventually, it twisted into a loop and became a wreath. Before it died and could rot, just as the leaves were about to fall, he reached out to grab it, and the moment he did, a pulse of magic flowed through it.

In an instant, the partly withered wreath was rapidly aged at the fastest speed Ezekiel could bring about. That, mixed with his new [Understanding] of time, turned the wreath into a petrified crown. A fossil that shouldn’t have taken form from the amount of time that he could make pass.

With a deep breath, he placed the crown on his head with a tired smile. “That was more tiring than I expected. Infusing symbolic meanings into my spells is far harder than Brun makes it out to be.”

Maya stayed silent, merely looking at the crown on Ezekiel’s head with a glare that indicated her intense focus. He didn’t bother going into detail, however, since this was something that he had gotten used to. It seemed like everything he did with his magic was worthy of scrutiny from this Obscure Mythic.

“Erk!” A sharp pain flashed behind Ezekiel’s eyes. The memory of his most recent death nearly brought him to his knees.

“I told you! Go meditate and separate the memory so that you can digest your new gains properly! When your partner is done, I will send them to you so you may help each other.” Maya scolded him and used her shadow to drag him into the tree once more.

With a sigh, he crawled into the bed that had grown from the tree and steadied his breathing. It took several minutes for him to find his focus, but he eventually calmed down.

He remained in his meditation for several days before opening his eyes. Shine was back and had pinged him through their bond. It seemed like they had learned something new.

----------

Shine floated in the middle of the clearing. Several weapon constructs made of [Nothingness] surrounded them. The presence of several moving weapons, like chains and other segmented parts that moved in an orderly, yet natural, manner was the most impressive. An example of the power they had gained due to their recent experience.

The sight evoked a sense of admiration and awe within Ezekiel. He had gotten better at creating constructs himself. Experience with other elements due to the memories had helped a lot with that.

Yet this awe didn’t fully disperse the dread that began welling up in Ezekiel’s gut. Something significant had happened in the memories that Shine had resonated with this time.

“Was it a Cavern Spirit this time?” he called out from where he exited the tree. “The details on those constructs are incredibly precise.”

He reached out to touch the ephemeral weapons he passed by. The chains and other mid-ranged weapons silently waved in the air. Gravity had no effect on them, and it was as if they were cloth or string floating in the ocean.

Shine dispelled the constructs. “No... Radiant this time...”

Their voice was soft and light. As if they weren’t focusing on the world around them. Ezekiel didn’t like the sound of it. Had they experienced some sort of [Enlightenment] then such a thing would be fine. But that was not the case this time.

“Are you okay?” he asked and sent a soft pulse of concern and worry through his bond.

“I’m just... thinking...” Shine sounded uncertain, and Ezekiel couldn’t help but frown. “Please don’t worry... I’m just... realizing a few things... The Spirit whose memories I experienced were those of one who had split themself to create offspring. Not a Spirit born from the world itself.”

Ezekiel’s eyes widened. That basically meant that Shine had experienced having and raising a child. Something that neither had considered would be included in the memories that they were observing. Stepping forward, he placed a comforting hand on his Spirit’s blade.

“Can you show me?” he was still mentally drained, and hadn’t finished digesting his most recent gains, but he knew that if he didn’t do something, then Shine might fall back into the memories.

That was the last thing they wanted to have happen, since the one time that had happened to Ezekiel took nearly a week to stabilize his soul. The constant shifts and uneven growth as the memories meshed together with his own were incredibly painful.

Each of the Life Spirits that surrounded the grove of the Tree of Memories was pushed to exhaustion holding him together while waiting for Shine to wake up.

Only then had the Void Spirit been able to pull Ezekiel back to the present, and make sure that he didn’t die like the Spirit in his memories had.

“... Of course...” Shine sank toward the ground, and Ezekiel fell into a cross-legged position.

He placed Shine across his lap, and slowly, he and his Spirit began to synchronize their souls, right next to the Tree of Memories. Though still far enough away to not get caught up in memories again.

Sinking deeper and deeper into the memories that Shine had experienced, Ezekiel found himself drifting through the Void.

----------

Unlike most of the recollections he had obtained from the Tree of Memories, this time he didn’t simply form from the ether. Born from the elemental mana that had condensed to a certain level.

Instead, he could feel a sense of claustrophobia, and something seemed to constrict around him tighter and tighter. Then, with a full body flex and stretch, he burst from the egg that he had been trapped in moments before.

Opening his eyes to the world around him, he saw many other Spirits. Gold of Blue in color, and generally uncoordinated as they tried to move around. Their instincts told them all to get away as fast as possible, but not where to go.

The sensation of slithering along the ground was not new, but it was one that Ezekiel was still not used to, even after having experienced a lifetime of such movements once before.

Then, before he could go anywhere, the world turned gold from the sheer radiance of the light that was emitted from behind him. He turned, almost against his will, and saw an enormous snake over a hundred thousand times his size.

An equally large bird of prey, blue in color, stood above the snake. Perched upon a stone outcropping near the ceiling of the massive cave they had been born in.

‘This was the first memory... Those are my... the Spirit’s parents.’ Shine’s voice filled Ezekiel’s mind, and he snapped out of the trance he had fallen into.

He quickly worked on the exercises that separated him from the memories. His form coalesced into the form he usually took when he was in his mindscape. Next to him, the avatar of Shine, their featureless humanoid figure, floated next to him.

Behind them both was the starry universe that represented their shared mindscape, while in front of them was a large screen that played the memories. Just like a film from Ezekiel’s past life.

‘I’m sorry... I know that they are not really my parents, but that life was...” Shine trailed off, but Ezekiel could understand. He could recall his own early life, and the love that was in his parent’s eyes when he was reborn.

A love that was reflected in the eyes of these two Legendary Spirits.

He reached over, wrapping his partner in a comforting embrace. No words were said, even though emotions were silently shared. Instead, the two Void users settled down to watch the memories from Shine’s most recent dive.

Ezekiel idly cast his time acceleration spell. One that Shine supported and enhanced alongside him. To the point that their viewing would take far less time than any other memories they had taken into themselves.

‘This life didn’t have that much interesting happening. Not for the majority at least.’ Shine went into detail, describing the emotions that they felt during this session.

Ezekiel interjected many times, all to keep Shine grounded in reality, and not get drawn back into the memory. Even as his own headache worsened from the undigested memories from his own time with the tree.

‘It was the territorial conflicts that were the worst. Growing up with such a massive family, with protective parents, meant that the loss of each of my siblings was the worst thing imaginable.’

Scenes of battle flashed across the screen, and Ezekiel held Shine even tighter as the deaths of over a hundred Spirits were shown. The worst one being the death of the blue bird that had been there since their birth in this memory.

Then came the death of the great Radiant snake. Leaving them as the last of their family.

‘By the time they were all dead, that Spirit had reached the Legendary Tier, and went on to essentially do as their father had done. He carved out his own territory and did whatever it took to defend it. Eventually he found his own partner, a bear shaped Spirit of all things, and sired his own children.’

The fact that Shine hadn’t referred to the Spirit in their memories as themself was a good sign. There was also more confidence in their voice as they spoke.

‘However, I think this was when it hurt the most.’ The sight of several small snakes and three small bear cubs, gold or violet in color, dying to the ravages of more territorial disputes appeared before them. ‘I didn’t think that I could feel so sad. The only time I’ve felt as bad as this was the time you nearly died, and our bond was almost severed.’

Watching the young Spirits die, Ezekiel felt a nudge from Shine. He allowed himself to sink into the memory, just a bit, as the snake Spirit’s partner died.

Rage, hatred, and a sense of loss and mourning filled him.

As well as an oath, to see the Spirits that had taken his family die, no matter the cost.

With a flash, both Hunter and Spirit left the mindscape.

----------

The clearing was silent, but the light that had been there before had faded.

“I want to avenge them,” Shine muttered, their voice was barely a whisper in the wind. “But I don’t even know how old that memory was. Nor do I think I actually have the right to do so. That life wasn’t mine, and the battles between Wild Spirits have their own rules. Ones that I don’t truly understand, even after so many years living through their memories.”

Ezekiel stayed silent. He didn’t want to interrupt Shine’s thoughts.

“We also need to get stronger. To ensure that what happened to him, will never happen to us. Don’t we?” They lifted into the air, and their avatar appeared on the side of their blade. “I refuse to experience such a thing, ever again. Now, how much longer do we have to stay here? When will we reach the peak of the Mythic Tier?”

He didn’t have any answers to those questions. They had plagued his mind as well, but answers were always out of reach. Instead, he just stood up, feeling the strength of his soul. Strength that had yet to be fully brought to bear.

“If we go right now, who knows what will happen to us. The Cruor out number us, and out power us. Facing off against all the Broodlords at once will be impossible, but I also know that we can’t stay here much longer.” Ezekiel stretched and looked to the sky.

‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Brun has been hiding a lot from us. He’s lied more than a few times when we asked if there was news from outside.’ He spoke silently through his bond. ‘With that in mind, my soul is strong enough now to match his own. I just need the mana to make those breakthroughs. The same goes for you. So, I would say that the time for waiting is over.’

‘What about the dangers from the Cruor?’ There was a hint of worry in Shine’s voice, but Ezekiel waved it off.

‘We won’t go near the Desolate Lands. There are a few places that might be good for us to go to. Places in the memories we’ve seen that might be of help.’ Images of landscapes from different parts of Quintessa passed through his mind. ‘We’ll visit some of them, and then we’ll come back. When we do, it might be time for me to actively search out the memories of the nascent Ancient Spirit that became the Tree of Memories.’

Joy filled Shine’s soul and plans for breaking out of the Spirit Haven passed back and forth between them. The most obvious one was the most dangerous. Which was to pass into the [Space-Between-Spaces].

That held the risk of getting lost, since they had no anchors that they were still connected to outside the Haven. Staying too long in that false space was difficult as well. Even for their Tier five might.

‘Perhaps a path?’ Ezekiel finally proposed. ‘If we push each other to the maximum we can go, then our combined mana will be enough to make a tunnel that can cut through the defenses around the Haven. The biggest problem will be getting as close as possible, to ensure that it’s as strong as it can be. Brun might not let us get close enough.’

‘If we both break through, Brun won’t be strong enough to stop us.’ There was a hint of bloodlust in Shine’s voice. The thought of breaking free from what had been their cage for the last year was too much for them to remain calm.

Although, he knew he couldn’t say anything about it. The wide and toothy grin that had spread across his face was more than threatening on its own.

Turning as one, the duo faced the shadows. Invisible to their eyes, but easily noticed by their powerful senses, Maya stared back at them. For the moment, Brun was also nowhere to be found.

The Obscure Spirit shivered in response to their gazes, and Ezekiel finally felt that things were going to go their way.

----------

A week later, after constant meditation, and sharing their mana to the full extent of their capabilities, Ezekiel and Shine walked out of the tree that they had called home for the past year. The bark and trunk were somewhat damaged from where they had been forced to break out.

Taking a deep breath, Ezekiel took in the sight before him. His mana had mostly settled, but still surged to new heights. His growth had been fast, far more so than prior to taking in the experiences of the Spirits whose memories had been taken in by the Tree of Memories.

“Hey, Brun, how’s it going? You ready to tell us the truth now?” He addressed the Tempest Spirit that stood in front of him with a calm and confident demeanor.

Grasped in his hand was Shine, who sparkled with mana as they reinforced themself. The battle that was about to occur was one that had been anticipated by the both of them for months, but only now were they finally pushed to the point where they could no longer wait.

“I don’t think he wants to talk to us... I think he’s actually reevaluating his previous choices.” Shine sounded happy to Ezekiel’s ears, and he could sense the anticipation that filled them.

Both Void users had relaxed their hold on their mana. Each of them stood at the eighth Step of Tier five. Something that the two Mythic Spirits of the Haven that sat in front of them could easily sense.

Behind said Mythical Spirits, an army composed of every Legendary Spirit in the Haven stood ready. A natural formation had taken shape, and the Void duo could sense that both Brun and Maya were being bolstered by the others. As well as the presence of another Mythic, a construct formed from the might of the Legendaries behind them.

“Your growth is impressive. I guess this is what happens when Mythical Hunters are actually pushed to their limits. You haven’t had any chances to truly grow since reaching this level, have you?” Brun continued to smile, but Ezekiel could sense something different about the Tempest Spirit. “I don’t suppose you would be willing to reconsider staying for a little longer. It’s only been a year, and you are so close to the peak. You even managed to push Shine to reach the same level as you.”

Ezekiel could tell that the Tempest Spirit was delaying. Even though the Spirit’s words made sense, there was no guarantee that he would be able to break through once he reached the peak.

He would still need to grow his soul an unknown amount more to form his sixth Chakra. Along with figuring out how long it would take to actually find and open, and what would be needed to do so.

He wouldn’t have any experiences from others to rely on. The moment he reached the peak of Tier five he would be on his own in truth. There would be nothing he would be able to reference. Everything would depend purely on himself.

“Sorry, but I’m not doing that. You know as well as I do that neither of us is willing to stay here. You said it yourself, once we reached the middle Step of this Tier, we’d gain a new understanding and connection with the world itself.” Even now, there was a burning flare that emanated from his danger sense. One that he hadn’t noticed before, due to the manipulations that Brun had been using on him and the Haven since they had arrived. “Now that I can see it, I’m quite angry. Enough that I’ve needed to let my magic nullify my emotions, just to stop me from killing everyone.”

Maya and the Army of Legendary Spirits flinched. He had allowed a hint of his anger to be infused in his voice. The sheer vitriol was enough to have previously made even Shine fearful for a moment when he had first let it out hours ago. But they had since gotten over it.

Upon feeling it for himself, Brun stopped smiling, and Ezekiel finally noticed what he had been missing previously. The Mythic Spirit was injured. Not in a minor way either.

The fact that he was lying down hid it well, but not that he had noticed it, the fact that Brun was missing a leg was something he could not ignore.

It was also something that Brun had realized Ezekiel was now aware of.

With a sigh, Brun stood up on three legs. His face had fallen into a resigned frown.

“I’m sorry, but with how things are going out there, we cannot afford to let you go. You might end up making the wrong decision. Please, just wait until you break through to Tier six. I know you can do it. You are already so close.” Brun’s pleading was almost enough to make Ezekiel back down.

Then he reached out with his senses. He could tell that Brun was being utterly truthful, but that just made his need to leave even stronger. If the world had truly gotten to such a point, and Brun had been forced to fight to such an extent, he knew he needed to step in.

‘Sorry bud, it looks like we won’t be able to go look for the remains of that Spirit. Not right away at least.’ He apologized to his partner but received a mental shake of the head in return.

‘It’s not a problem. Our priority is making sure neither of us goes through the same loss that that old Spirit did. No more so than we already have. Which means checking up on our family, first and foremost.’

Ezekiel smiled at how Shine was prioritizing their family first and foremost.

With that in mind, Brun had only a moment to widen his eyes, before a flash of opalescent light spread through the world, and the crack of Space being broken filled the air.