Tale of Eldramir

Drifting through the seemingly endless expanse of space within Eldramir’s Spirit Paths, Ezekiel kept himself hidden beneath a [Shroud] that kept his existence out of sight. The pseudo–Death Spirits ignored his existence, since there was [Nothing] there.

Are you sure that this is going to work the way you want it to? Shine asked, their question tugging at Ezekiel’s attention for a moment before he turned back to the passing pseudo-Spirits.

It should. So long as Headren can interfere with the flow for long enough. Ezekiel palmed the Construct Artifact that he had created from his mana. It was infused with his [Will] and [Understanding] to the point that it had become self-sustaining. A feat that usually took years to achieve for Legendary Spirits. Though the process was faster when working with others.

It took him, Shine, and Headren a handful of days to create this, and several hundred smaller beacons with considerably shorter range. At least, that’s what it felt like. It was getting harder and harder to measure the passage of time in this place. Not only that, but none of them knew if the passage of time was even the same as it was in the physical world.

How are you guys holding up? I know Headren said that the place you’re currently hiding in won’t be a viable spot for that long. It had taken quite a bit of arguing before Warren had allowed Ezekiel to go off on his own.

Shine had volunteered to go first, but Ezekiel had refused. The Spirit had better control due to being their primary caster and support for his spells during battle, but Ezekiel had better creativity, and would be able to more easily figure out a plan on the fly if anything went wrong.

We’re doing fine, for now. It’s just that we can’t move, and both Headren and Warren are getting anxious... Theo even came out to add another body, just to help keep the stir craziness down. Shine had paused for a moment, and Ezekiel could feel the guilt in their tone, but he waved it off.

He knew that he’d be feeling guilty about not being able to do anything either.

Well, hopefully I’ll be able to get in and out quickly. If it’s anything like the nests of actual insects, however, I have doubts that that will be possible. Just after saying this, he came across an area of space that seemed to have an island similar to the one that Headren had created. Speak of the devil... Check with Headren. See if it’s possible to sense the presence of creatures that come into contact with the pseudo-earth islands that he creates. It would be nice if I could get through this without expending mana flying around.

There was silence for a few seconds while Shine asked Headron Ezekiel’s question.

He says that his own constructs don’t, but he’s not sure what is and isn’t possible at this point.

Ezekiel sighed, but he understood where the Death Hunter was coming from. This was all new territory for them. He was still wary about using most of his magic. Simply because the mana in here was so different from what was out in the physical world.

It was like the difference between freshwater, saltwater, and fruit juice. There were just too many things flowing in it that were unfamiliar, and too many things lacking from it to know where to start.

The [Will] of Eldramir, as subconscious and barely active as it was, also made things difficult.

Alright... I’m going to test it. Be ready to anchor me so that I can get out of here quickly if I need to. With that said, Ezekiel stepped onto the island floating in the Spirit Paths.

For a moment, he froze and expanded his senses well beyond what his passive range was. He saw no changes in the behavior of any area of the swarm. The millions of Spirits that buzzed around, near and far, continued on like normal.

I wonder what the hell these islands are for, if the nest isn’t actively using them right now.

For a second, he had thought that they were an early warning system. One meant to alert the hive of careless invaders. Yet the lack of change made him doubt that.

Are there any changes on your end?

He felt the mental head shake from Shine. Nothing yet but be ready for a possible trap. If the Ruler of this nest is Tier six, then your soul protection won’t do much. If you need to, dump the Construct Artifact and get out of there.

I will, I promise. There is absolutely zero reason to take any risks at this point. Turning toward another island floating nearby, Ezekiel gently kicked off from the one he was on.

The flow of mana here was much less turbulent than the other areas he had been in. He hadn't even gotten within sight of the actual hive yet, and things were already starkly different from the places they had passed through on the way here.

Moving forward, deeper into the hive’s territory, he saw why that was.

The sheer numbers of pseudo–Death Spirits made it difficult to see it clearly, but he finally saw it after nearly an hour more spent traveling.

It was enormous. Easily a hundred times larger than the largest human city that Ezekiel had ever seen. Which, from this angle, meant that it was likely many times larger than his current estimates.

He couldn’t see its depth from where he was looking, after all.

It took him a moment, but he finally mustered up the focus to send what he was seeing through his bond with Shine. Although he couldn’t see it, he could sense that his Spirit was projecting the image for the others to see as well. With a smaller dot to reference the actual scale of the nest.

Headren is angry again... He’s letting out miasma in greater amounts, and Warren is reinforcing his own barrier within the [Shroud] to keep it hidden. Shine’s narration of what was happening on their end was of great relief to Ezekiel. The description was well within the expectations he had when he first saw the nest. Warren is also insisting that you finish and come back as quickly as you can.

Ezekiel nodded, though no one else saw it. I’m going to try to get the beacon directly on the central nest. That way we’ll be able to get closer more easily.

Stepping off from the newest island he had leapt to, Ezekiel continued forward, hiding behind floating debris and drifting past circling patrols of pseudo-Spirits.

By this time, he realized that the flow of mana was almost nonexistent within this area. However, from the size of the nest, he could easily tell what was blocking it. Even though the nest had holes the size of buildings in it, there was just so much of it that the controlled fusts of mana weren’t nearly enough to keep the flow even when the rest was so clogged up.

I guess that it makes sense. The hive has to feast on something, and if they’re not cannibalizing things, then they must be feeding off the mostly Death aspected mana in the Spirit Paths. Damming it up is clearly a working method.

Just then, a loud ‘crack’ filled the area, and a large chunk of the nest broke off, releasing a massive torrent of mana that nearly pulled Ezekiel in, even thought it was easily a kilometer away at least.

Now I know where the islands came from, he mused before shaking his head and floating toward one of the holes. I haven’t been seen just yet. So, I’m going to try and get and map as much of this as I can. Maybe even find the central chamber where the ruler must be.

He heard no complaint from Shine, even though he knew that they must’ve conveyed his intentions to the rest. Carving out a section of the false rock he’d landed on, he hid a fist sized mana crystal that he had condensed previously. It would act as the anchor that would tell him where ‘out’ was.

Lifting into the air once more, Ezekiel floated into the hive. The caverns were tall, and many of the swarm were passing through the same area, but none made any indication that they knew of Ezekiel’s presence here. Along the way, he released smaller trackers that would let him sense the pathway out of here when he was done.

So far so good... How are things on your end? He asked Shine.

We’re doing okay, but we needed to move when the swarm shifted its flow. I’m not certain that that crack you saw was the only one that occurred. Shine’s reply made Ezekiel hum in contemplation.

I just realized that this nest may have far greater consequences than we expected... Eldramir is already nearly dead due to having dropped so many Tiers from when it was at its strongest... I can’t imagine that this flow, even in the worst parts, was as bad as it once was...

What are you trying to say?

I’m saying that the flow of mana within the Spirit Paths could be directly related to the recovery and condition of Eldramir. Which means that, if this, or other, pathways end up being fully blocked off, it could kill part of Eldramir in the physical world... A wasteland where not even Cavern or Tempest mana is generated by the elements, only Death mana and Death Spirits.

It took a moment for this to sink in, and Ezekiel could tell that Shine was telling his father and Headren what he had explained. The sheer size of the Spirit Paths made it seem almost impossible, but they were only so large because they had once channeled mana for a much more powerful being.

If his father was used as reference for the standard Tier six, even if newly ascended, then that would mean that the Spirit Pathways they were in was far too large for a Tier seven. If the scaling stayed on track. He knew nothing about Tier seven other than the rough hypothesis he had made a while ago.

Regardless, he knew that, if the nest was still this large even though it was breaking apart, that the Spirits were ground stronger. At least in number, if not in individual power.

Ezekiel, I’ve been told by Headren that the only other places in the Spirit Paths where the flow of mana is as close to zero as you’ve stated this place is, was the places where the Paths were broken. Nothing flowed through there, and it was like an emptiness that wanted to pull him apart in every direction at once.

Ezekiel paused, ducking behind an outcropping that had chipped off from the large walls to avoid the scurrying pseudo-Spirits.

I see... I think it’s safe to assume that killing this nest is even more important now. Given the state that Eldramir is in, we can’t afford to leave things be, and risk more damage occurring if they block this path entirely. He channeled more mana, causing his body to flicker beneath his [Shroud] and his state of existence changed. I’m going to rush this a little bit. We need to find the center fast.

He could feel the reluctant agreement like a soft push in the back of his mind. With a flash, unseen by those around him, he [Accelerated] his movements, and blitzed through the hive.

In this state, it didn’t take him long before he found what appeared to be a massive cavern with thousands of thousands of cocoons lining the walls. The flow of mana was greater in this room, but only in that it increased the density of it.

The actual movement was just as slow as outside, creating pressure that forced Ezekiel to slow down. If he didn’t, he ran the risk of losing control of his spells. There was also a smoky miasma that filled the room. Several openings also led to other chambers.

I’ve found the nesting chamber... Now all I need to do is--

His [Accelerated] state of mind was the only thing that prevented the razor-sharp chitinous blade from taking his head off. It was the same color as the walls and was dusted with a similarly smoky miasma coloring. It also lacked a distinct mana signature, blending in even further with the increased mana pressure within the cavern.

He realized that, in his focus on the eggs and his proximity to what must’ve been the center of the hive, or close to the Ruler at least, he had left a trail in the miasma. The lack of anything within the area he was in meant that the pseudo-Spirits had a target. The empty space that he was occupying.

It was the same trick the Rot used in their own tunnels, and he couldn’t help but mentally kick himself in the head for missing it.

“Shit!” Ezekiel couldn’t help but exclaim while throwing himself backward. Hitting one of the eggs and causing it to explode into a gooey, Ichor-like- puddle of indigo mana.

At that moment, the world seemed to freeze, and there was a shift in the air. Shine began screaming at him to get out of there, but Ezekiel just froze.

The [Will] that tinted the mana everywhere changed, and Ezekiel could feel, even hidden beneath his reinforced [Shroud], that something wanted him dead.

Something that knew where he was.

----------

The sun was setting on the city of Sanafalls. It had been nearly two weeks since the meeting where the forces allied against the Cruor and the Empire had gathered.

Riley had returned home with Evelyn and the twins, much earlier than the rest of the Hunters and Scholars that would be returning later by boat, but was anxious to get out once more, to try and track down whatever she could find regarding Ezekiel.

Currently, she and Evelyn were within a private manor outside the walls of the city. Given their previous treatment at the hands of the Scholars, it was decided that they wouldn’t stay with the Cathedral anymore. A practical choice, one that had been decided on well before they had made landfall.

Fortunately, this was not a problem, since the internal conflict over how best to treat Ezekiel and his loved ones had split many members of the Church. Those that were loyal to Ezekiel and his efforts had since broken off from the Church of Ten, and while they hadn’t established a Cult around Ezekiel, they had followed in his footsteps in establishing their own private research institute.

The manor was just a small portion, with guards and Scholars coming and going, but with their own uniforms. It was also more of a haven for Void Mages, who had once again begun to be persecuted for their element. Even after swearing the now mandatory oaths.

For now, Riley and Evelyn were alone in a lounge area. The twins were out training, and Riley was running a groove into the ground as she walked back and forth. This wasn’t the first time she had fallen into such a habit.

“Stop pacing. You’re the one who agreed to this. You know that he wouldn’t want you working yourself up when you know that there’s nothing you can do.” Evelyn’s voice was quiet but harsh, pulling Riley from her racing thoughts. “Instead, perhaps you can work on something more productive, like breaking through to Step two. I know our treatment at the hands of the Broodlords was more than enough to push your soul to the necessary level.”

Riley grimaced at the reminder. As much as she had been overjoyed to have met up with Ezekiel once more, she truly wished that she could’ve reunited with him under better circumstances.

Currently, she was only able to walk around as easily as she could thanks to the exceptional efforts of the Life Mages that had given her round-the-clock care.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered before walking over to where Celia was acting like an oversized house cat, curled up on the floor and gazing imperiously over the room. “It’s just... My whole purpose is to help him... It’s what I want, more than anything... To be by his side when he seeks out new paths forward. I felt that I would be able to do that when I broke through, but all I did was cause him more trouble.”

She sat down and leaned against Celia. The pony sized dragon snorted and blew hot air in her face before settling her head on her lap.

Evelyn sighed and stood up, striding over to her. “I understand how you feel... Don’t forget what happened to my husband, and why he left in the first place...”

She stared wistfully at the wall for a moment, before Reya, licking her face, pulled her back. Riley just watched in silence, unable to look away. She respected Evelyn too much to write there off, even if she was more powerful now.

“Does it ever get easier? I’m sorry to ask this, but I need to know,” Riley’s voice was quiet. Barely a whisper, because she was afraid of the answer she would receive.

“... I don’t know... I find it easier when I’m doing things that can distract me... But in all honesty, I have yet to not feel pain whenever I think of what’s become of my husband...”

Watchful of her Spirit’s horns, Riley opened her arms, and Evelyn joined her on the floor, reclining against the curled-up dragon.

“So many people have been lost, Shari, and the rest of the Alkena’s. All of Harkem, and the elders of the Morathi Clans... I think the only ones that are still around are the Legendary birds of the Feathered Peaks, and even their tribe has been greatly reduced...” Riley’s voice was filled with melancholy and sorrow. “Yet, here I am... doing next to nothing to stop the suffering... All because the world knows that I’m a target... How did Ezekiel deal with it all?”

Evelyn remained silent. Riley knew she didn’t have the answer. In truth, she knew more about the man she’d married than his mother had. It was strange, and tiring. The number of things that she knew yet couldn’t speak of.

The world itself had practically declared it so, when felt her heart stop at the sheer size of the presence looming over her, invisible to everyone else, during the one time she had tried to tell Evelyn and the twins of Ezekiel’s secrets.

It was at that moment, when they were flying back to Sanafalls, that she knew that Eldramir’s soul was willing to overlook some things at the lower Tiers, but not at the higher ones.

“In all honesty, a part of me wishes that he had never gone out to fight... That he had never trained or gotten famous, but I can’t help but be proud of him for everything all the same. Especially since we know that he’s alive, if lost to us, for now.” Evelyn sighed wistfully once more. Riley noticed she had been doing that a lot recently. “It’s better than burying your head in the ground and hiding away in a hole, at least. You can never learn anything about the world when you do that.”

Like a bolt of lightning, an idea passed through Riley’s mind. A risky one, but as memories of the place where she had once made the most progress she had ever experienced passed through her mind, a plan took shape. One that would see a final bastion of hope take shape.

One where not only she could grow stronger at an accelerated pace.

“Riley? What happened? Why are you smiling like that?” Evelyn stood up, gazing at her like she was the most bizarre creature to have ever been witnessed in the world.

Riley placed a hand on her mouth, realizing that a wide and toothy grin had spread across her face. Even so, she couldn't stop. She knew what she could do to help Ezekiel. To [Stand with the Void] once again, after he returned.

“I think I know what to do, and where to go, while keeping in line with my oaths to remain in a safe place and not set foot in battle... Though, we’ll need to take a trip to the desert to do so.”

Evelyn looked at Riley like she had just sentenced them to death. Tarquessa wasn’t overridden with Cruor like much of the eastern parts of the Empire were, but that didn’t mean that it was hospitable for them, what with it being subjugated by the Cult of Light, making it property of the Broods, in actuality.

“Help me contact Scarlet and the other ex-Scholars loyal to Ezekiel. I have an expedition to plan. One that I know that they’re going to enjoy.” With that said, Riley stood up from the ground, Celia shrank and flew to her shoulder.

The duo marched out of the room, leaving a confused Evelyn in their wake.

They had maps to find, courses to plot, and an Ancient Legacy to revisit.

----------

Ezekiel sliced through another insect as he threw himself into yet another unknown tunnel.

He had been doing this for half an hour now, and it was only thanks to him overcharging his [Shroud] that this was even possible. The other things were the various beacons that he’d laid out in the different areas of the nest. But even then, his ability to [Jump] to them meant that there were moments were he’d had to backtrack and lost valuable progress.

Don’t bother with the mission anymore. Just focus on getting out of there! We can always come back later! Shine’s voice screamed at him, but he knew that coming back later was a bad idea.

There was certain to be a large number of defenders dedicated to ensuring that nothing got inside next time, so he needed to plant as many beacons as possible, just to make it possible to get back in when they finished with their own preparations later.

I’ll jump out the moment I’m at less than a third of my mana, or once I’ve finally gotten to the center of the nest. This had been all he'd been willing to say before he continued his mission to make his way further inside. The actual number of Spirits in here isn’t that large. Not compared to the number that are outside, at least.

He wasn’t even lying when he’d said this. Due to the cramped space, relative to the open expanse outside, the Spirits within the nest were incapable of truly outnumbering him. Not without causing themselves to start killing each other by accident.

Not only that, but he could vaguely sense their presence within a certain proximity to himself, so he could [Jump] to places behind their numbers, hiding from them temporarily. At least until the [Will] within the miasma locked onto him again.

It only happened after a few seconds passed, but it was still annoying, and he couldn’t afford to continue [Jumping] around like he had.

I think I’ve found it. This is one of the caverns connected to the egg room. He could just barely sense the pulsating egg sacs in the other room. It was relatively empty, with only the hidden ambush Spirits being present.

Even now, he could only sense a few dozen, but knew that there were many more. They had attacked him in the hundreds before retreating when he’d gotten out of there, after all.

Make it quick! Shine screamed at him.

He ducked beneath the mandibles of a massive ant-like Spirit. Dashing forward without attacking, he made his way out of the new cavern before the armored monstrosity could take a bite out of him.

He’d made the mistake of trying to cut through the Mythic level armored ant Spirit before. The force of his blow nearly broke his wrist when he’d tried to cut through it. Afterwards, he’d used crushing attacks, but they barely left any dents.

Accelerating] himself to his fastest possible speed, he dashed past the rapidly increasing number of insects. Countless different types of different sizes were appearing before him. A part of him wanted to just mass kill the weaker ones, but that would leave him too drained to finish the job.

Leaping into the last hole, he let loose one massive burst of [Gravity] as a massively increased pressure. It crushed the Legendary and weaker Spirits, while also pushing the Mythic ones out of the way.

With his faster speed, he made his way past them, breaking into what he prayed was the final chamber. A prayer that was answered, much to his immediate displeasure.

A body the size of the city of Sanafalls came into his vision. But it wasn’t ant-like, as he had been expecting. Instead, it had two primary body parts: a thorax, and an abdomen.

As well as a face with eight massive eyes, each one nearly twice the size of Ezekiel.

The sheer pressure that its presence exuded was greater than Ezekiel’s own. But there was something missing. Something that Ezekiel knew was the difference between Tier five and Tier six.

It was close, he was certain of that, however, he could also tell that it wasn’t an Ancient. Not yet.

All around it were spinning webs filled with Spirits that were struggling within large sacs. Prey from other nests, Ezekiel assumed. Something that the apparent queen feasted on, or perhaps members of her hive that had formed their own souls?

He wasn’t certain, but what he did know was that the queen had been waiting for him. Its maw was wide open, and a stream of noxious substance sprayed toward him.

He immediately sped his mind up further, far faster than his body could keep up with, and telekinetically threw the remaining beacons out as fast and hard as he could.

They went in different directions, faster than the spray of liquid coming for him, and impact, invisibly, on the walls, a short range [Jump] that he exerted on all of them put them several meters inside the pseudo-earth that made the nest.

With that done, he allowed a terrified smirk to grace his features. His mission was complete, and now, he just had to get out of there.

The spray of deathly spit from the hive queen passed by his position. Hitting nothing, for he had already [Jumped] away. Though he felt like his soul had nearly left his body when he did so.

The Death aura and [Will] from that Wild Spirit, as primitive as it was, had been strong enough to nearly prevent him from making the [Jump]. Fortunately, his soul, thanks to his experiences, was more than a match for what he now knew was only a pseudo-Tier six.

He had to take a moment to steady himself as the enraged howl that came from within the depths of the nest rattled his body.

With that in mind, the hopeless situation he had thought they were in now seemed manageable. So, with a grin on his face that became more and more confident as the seconds ticked on, he made his way out of the nest. Flying at full speed beneath his [Shroud] the moment he was able.

He just had to get back to his allies, and hopefully get Shine to stop screaming at him.