Tale of Eldramir

The nearly forgotten, but still familiar walls of the Ancient Legacy greeted Ezekiel once the light of his transportation faded away. He was alone, but that was expected. Each of the Hunters he had brought with him were told of the trials they were likely to face.

“Are you sure that they’ll be okay?” Shine asked once Ezekiel put his worries aside.

“I’m sure that they all made their choice. They know, roughly, what to expect, so whatever happens next is up to them.” He turned to the side after saying this. “Unless Riley managed to make a deal with you beforehand?”

A blank wall stood in front of him. Nothing was there, and the stone itself was the exact same as every other bit of rock that surrounded the two Void users. Seeing no response, Ezekiel held out a hand and flicked a finger at it. A small hole appeared on the wall, and a pained grunt filled the room.

“How did you know that I was there?” the Guardian asked once he extracted himself from the wall. “Not even another Mythical being should be able to sense my presence.”

“... My senses have grown... Now that I’m half a step into the Ancient level, I can tell where you really are.” Ezekiel looked down and to the side. “After I found your true body, I simply followed the string of mana stretching out from your soul. I can’t sense your avatar, since it’s the exact same as the rock that’s all around us, but you, as an individual, are a different story.”

For a moment, nothing but silence filled the room. Then the Guardian began to laugh.

It was surprisingly joyful. Ezekiel had thought that the Mythical Spirit would be more frustrated, or annoyed. Perhaps even fearful at his growth.

“You’re just like Them,” the Guardian muttered. “The Ancient Void said the same thing to me, when I first tried to hide from Them many years ago.”

Ezekiel closed his eyes and sighed. Given what he now knew, he didn’t like the comparisons that were being made between himself and Eldramir. The world Spirit had many good points, like giving humanity a chance, even though they were a foreign species born of the planet’s enemies, but there was callousness and heartlessness to it as well.

After all, if it cared for its true children, then it would’ve wiped out humanity, and ensured that its survival was through its own means. It wouldn’t have allowed humanity to rise up, and simply say let the best species win.

“How have things been here? I’m certain that Riley and my family arrived here safely. Regardless of the dangers, Tarquessa isn’t something that they would have trouble getting through.” The fact that he could sense the presence of multiple Hunters, Mages, and Spirits resting above and below his current position was left unsaid.

He had suffered at the hands of several sycophants and other followers that bent at the knee just because of his power. It was nice to speak with a peer once more. Especially since he could now sense the Guardian Spirit’s true power.

That of the peak of Tier five. Though not quite ready for Tier six yet. The Guardian’s soul was old, but not that big. Time might’ve been enough to help it reach and remain at the top of Tier five, but it would take more exertion to reach Tier six.

In fact, Ezekiel wasn’t certain that time alone would ever be enough for a soul to break through to Tier six. Every soul that he had seen at that level had only gotten there after facing years of hardship and suffering. Experiences that truly pushed the soul’s [Will] to the limit.

“Things have been... fine,” the Guardian spoke slowly, and even though it was an avatar made of stone, and not the Spirit’s true body, Ezekiel could sense a slight waver, and hesitation in its voice.

“What happened?” Ezekiel tried his best to not sound demanding, but he refused to allow his family to be harmed while he was here. “Is my family alright?”

This time, Ezekiel sensed the stutter in the Spirit’s connection to the avatar.

While it wasn’t quite a wince, it was the closest thing that the Guardian was capable of at the moment. Something that Ezekiel had easily caught onto.

“I’m not willing to let any harm come to the Hunters and Spirits that have come here for safety and knowledge,” Ezekiel slowly released his hold on his mana, and the Runes that supported and reinforced the Legacy flared to life. “But that doesn’t mean that I can’t make you talk.”

The Guardian’s avatar crumbled under the weight of his [Nothingness]. Eldramir itself had let his [Rule] overpower the elder Spirit.

“I will only ask you this once,” his teeth ground together while the Legacy began to shake. “How is my family doing?”

The Guardian Spirit remained silent. Mana surged into the room, but nothing changed. Ezekiel’s control over it was too great, and with a flash of light he disappeared. A rift formed for a brief instant, only to close immediately afterward.

Not even a second later, another rift took shape, elsewhere, and Ezekiel’s [Will] pressed down on the Guardian. Though there was a massive drop in the mana he still had for his use.

“They are alive!” the Guardian roared. “They are alive, but two of them are not in the best shape.”

“Who?” The growl in Ezekiel’s voice was felt in the room.

“Your wife and mother... They have chosen to take on trials that have pushed them to their limits.” The Guardian looked away from Ezekiel. Its limbs struggled as Ezekiel continued to press down on it. “I’m not certain that they are aware of the world anymore.”

“Where are they?” It was difficult, but he managed to keep himself calm.

“Below, and that way.” The Guardian pointed behind Ezekiel, and he spread his senses outward.

There were several spheres of darkness that each held a different spark of a soul. Trials that were much like the ones that he and Riley had undergone when they were here the first time.

He felt around for his mother’s soul, since he knew that his sisters wouldn’t be undergoing such trials at this time. He could also faintly feel them mingled together with the other Legendaries that were in the safe zone.

Though the actions that they were taking regarding their soul cultivation was concerning. However, he felt no problems occurring, so he didn’t rush to stop them.

Then he focused downward and realized the true nature of the ball of fire below him.

He also noticed the two souls flickering within it. Their [Willpower] nearly depleted.

“I did not ask them to do this. I merely presented the only possible options that needed to be taken for them to achieve their goals.” The Guardian sounded regretful, and scared, but Ezekiel could tell that it was being honest. “Go through this entryway, and you can at least visit your wife. Perhaps even lift her burden a little bit.”

Ezekiel let out an angry sigh but walked through the tunnel that the Guardian had created.

“I shall be solving this problem entirely. Now make sure that the people that I brought with me are given the same deal as the ones that came with my family.”

He moved faster than the Guardian could follow, but didn’t teleport like before. He wasn’t certain as to whether or not something important would break if he did.

The first thing he noticed when he entered was just how hot the room was. Yet he didn’t question it, considering he was basically bathed in lava.

Are you sure that we can handle this? Shine couldn’t help but ask through their bond. It will delay our progress in finding your Chakra.

Ezekiel just shrugged. That’s what you’re here for. I will ensure that the mana flow is stable. While you attempt to find my sixth Chakra.

Oh, so you’re making me do all the work? Shine chuckled. This will hurt you. Taking in mana as hot as this will strain you like nothing before. Even now, your body and barriers are being burned away. It’s not the same as when you absorb Ichor or other mana types at the surface. This is far more powerful... perhaps even primordial in nature...

Ezekiel could feel the weight of that word; primordial.

The mana here was old. It had been there since the beginning. Before life on Eldramir had been purged the first time.

However, upon seeing his wife suffering so much just to hold on, almost certainly waiting for him to return, he knew that he didn’t have a choice.

Fortunately, he was accustomed to taking the harder path forward.

Once I grab the channels, get her out of here, and then come back. Hopefully, we can supercharge the Legacy. That might give us some time to make alterations so that it can run at full power without our presence. Slowly reaching forward, Ezekiel took hold of one of the channels that Riley was grabbing. I know that it will delay things more, but it’s also a problem to deal with later.

Shine's metaphorical mouth snapped shut with a ‘click’ that sounded through their bond. Ezekiel could help but chuckle, even as he grabbed the other channel.

His soul immediately lit on fire, and Shine took no time at all to grab Riley and get her out of there. A small hole appeared that lava quickly flowed into. The Void Spirit took the chance to [Warp Space] to slide into the newly opened room with Riley. Then the hole was closed.

Ezekiel wasn’t sure how long he was left there, channeling mana that burned with Radiant Flames. A mix of elements that he hadn’t even realized existed. There was even a spread of Cavern mana that was mixed in but flashed in and out of existence within the molten rock.

Fire and light were just too prominent for anything else to exist.

At some point, Shine returned, and Ezekiel felt their soothing presence within his soul. All while his body steamed, charred, and melted all at once. The injuries never went quite past the surface of his body, but still deep enough to make him numb.

It was only after he had donned his Spirit Armor with Shine’s arrival that he was able to heal the damage. Something he found to be much simpler, now that he had partially merged his body and soul.

Now, as the flow of mana coursing through him from the molten core and into the Ancient Legacy increased, he settled into a state of meditation.

While not the ideal circumstances, he needed to push forward. His progress could not be stopped. Not with so much on the line.

----------

The world was dark and seemed like it was utterly empty. However, rather than be concerned, or feel any sort of panic over her situation, Riley felt calm and relaxed.

She didn’t know how long she had been burning for. All she knew was that she needed to continue. Then it stopped. Through no action of her own, the burning stopped.

Are we dead? Her mental voice was a gentle whisper. There were no words spoken or conveyed from the silence, but she could feel Celia’s mental head shake through their bond.

No. We simply got pulled back onto the path that we had deviated from. Riley breathed in.

The darkness surrounding her was nearly opposite to the light created by her Flames. Yet fire could be colorless. Fire could burn without giving off light.

Besides that, she knew this sense of weightlessness, floating aimlessly in an endless expanse.

“Ezekiel,” she softly whispered, and a moment later, her eyes that were seared shut opened, and a deep green light filled her vision.

At first, there was a sting of pain. Her eyes were still healing, but she could see blurry shapes that were coming into focus. At the same time, muffled words that slowly became distinct could be heard all around her.

Oh, right. I was channeling mana for the Legacy... IS that where Ezekiel is right now?

Riley’s thoughts were somewhat jumbled. Her entire soul had been focused on surviving. Now, without the constant strain, pressure, and burning that came from said action, it was hard to think of anything else.

“-ley. Riley! If you can hear me, blink once.” The healer, a Scholar from Sanafalls, spoke in a firm and unyielding voice. But Riley could tell that she was simply concerned, and that her tone was not meant to be demanding or angry.

So, she blinked. Once. Then waited while the healers sighed in relief.

“Thank the Ancients... No. Thank the Void’s Herald.” The healer turned to address someone outside Riley’s range of vision. “Team three, how are your reserves?”

“They’re full enough to continue where you’re at right now. But we’ll have to delay finishing things up while she settles. Or even her Tier five constitution will suffer from mana corruption.”

The healers leaning over her backed away, and a new team took their place.

Riley tried to focus on what the voice was saying.

Mana corruption? That’s when too much foreign Life mana is used to heal. It means the body will suffer from side effects, and further healing attempts will cannibalize the body for resources it doesn’t have. Her thoughts wandered, even while Celia’s panic could be felt through their bond. We can’t let them do that. They need to stop.

Fortunately, it was apparent that the healers were more aware of their actions than she was, because they pulled back only a few minutes after swapping places.

“Exalt Riley, please blink if you can feel this.” Another healer did something outside her window of view, and she felt something happening.

Oh, she’s poking me. Riley blinked once after she realized what was happening.

The healer sighed and sagged into a slouch. “Good. That means that the nerves have been correctly adjusted. Blink again if you’re feeling any pain.”

This time Riley didn’t blink.

“Good. I’m leaving you an artifact that you will be able to press if you start to feel pain. Right now, the majority of your nerves, at least near the surface of your body, are burnt out. Your skin needs to almost entirely be regrown, and some muscles won’t work right for a while.”

She felt something be placed into what she assumed was her hand. She tried to flex her fingers around it, and a high-pitched whining sound filled her ears.

The healer winced, so Riley stopped holding down the button.

“That will alert us if you feel anything changes so that we can come to help. There are monitoring Artifacts as well, but you’ve been treated nonstop for three days while we worked to keep you stable and recover. Your husband helped thanks to the strange effects of Void Magic, but you need rest.”

Hearing mention of her husband, Riley twitched in shock. Had she been in her natural state, she would’ve shot out of bed and thrown the healer across the room.

Ezekiel! That’s right! He’s here! Where!

Her mind and heart started racing. But she couldn’t move.

“Exalt! You need to calm down! Your husband is fine. He’s the one who got you back here. The Guardian says that there should be enough mana channeled into the Legacy that he’ll be able to see you within a few more days.” The healer gently placed a hand on her chest. “For now, you can’t even speak, let alone hold your husband again. Both you, and your Spirit, need rest. Perhaps tomorrow we’ll be able to get your speaking ability back. But for now, you need to let both your body, and your soul, relax.”

Riley tried to breathe. She tried to speak, but nothing more than a reedy rasp came from her mouth. Her body was in no condition to do anything right now.

So, against her will, she forced her body to relax.

Ezekiel was here. She was no longer burning, and it seemed like nothing had happened to her that was impossible to recover from.

For now, she would wait and meditate.

Her recent experience had shown her many things regarding fire. It would be a shameful waste if she didn’t make the most of the unfortunate situation she was stuck in.

Deep within her soul, through the bond with her Spirit, Celia agreed, and the two began to work together on recovering faster.

Though, before she started, she did wonder what had happened to the twins and Evelyn.

----------

Elsewhere, within the private quarters that the Guardian had created for the twins, Wendy and Ellen were seated cross legged in front of each other. Both had their arms held out pressed against each other, and were donned in their Spirit Armor.

Beneath them, a circle of mana flowed in a circle. Black and gold, shadows and light, swirled around each other, and quiet noises could barely be heard.

Slowly, however, the two retracted their mana, and within seconds the contrasting fowl of mana receded, and the twins slumped over in relief.

“That one was good... We probably won’t even need to get checked by the healers this time.” Wendy muttered from where she was nearly lying on the floor. “How long were we at it this time?”

Ellen flopped onto the ground. She rolled over and looked at an artifact that was in the corner. A timer that told them how long they’d been in seclusion.

“Three days... Something must’ve happened if they didn’t deem it necessary to check up on us.” Ellen turned to the entrance to their room. A small pile of sand was on the ground, utterly untouched. “We should check things out once we recover. Otherwise-”

A quiet knock stopped her from finishing. Three knocks were followed by the door opening. It wasn’t enough to interrupt their meditation, if they were in the middle of it, but it would be enough to alert them if they were awake.

“Come in,” Wendy called out before Ellen could say anything else.

The door opened, and a Legendary Scholar stepped into the room. It was George, who had been one of the leaders among the Life Mages who were not focused on healing.

“You two are awake. Good. Your brother returned, and Riley is in bad shape. We need you both out here now.” He then turned around and the sound of running footsteps echoed through the open door.

There was a moment of stunned silence before the two dismissed their Spirit Armor. Neither had the mana left to maintain them, so it would just hold them back while they ran to the primary gathering room. More noise than they were used to could be heard, and when they arrived, it was apparent that the number of people had nearly doubled compared to what was there before.

“Wendy! Ellen! Over here!” Fiana called out from where she was standing outside a newly crafted stone hut. Scarlet stood next to her, along with several other battle mages. Both Hunters and Scholars who were skilled in fighting with their magic.

“What happened? George just opened our door, saw that we were awake, and then rushed off after saying our brother was here, and that Riley was hurt.” Wendy spoke first. A sense of worry and fear filled her. Something that she didn’t think she would be feeling until they got out of here.

“That man,” Fiana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, your brother is back. We didn’t speak to him, but Shine was here. They brought Riley out of whatever energy chamber she was in. Apparently she was channeling mana from the outside into the Legacy. Converting it into something useful was a painful endeavor, but she managed to do it well. She’s recovering now and has been treated over the past three days. Since not long after you two entered your own seclusion.”

The Legendary Flare Scholar looked the twins over. Her eyebrows rose in confusion when she got a better look at them.

“It seems like your efforts have been successful this time. You might not even need healing if you’re able to run all the way here and not collapse. But I’d still get checked out if I were you.”

The twins simply nodded. Both knew better than to not get checked over after their most recent attempts at refining and forging their souls and mana. Even if there were no obvious signs of damage.

“Can we see her? Mom still isn’t back from her trial, though, none of them are at this point. But with Riley back, we might be able to get more answers from the Guardian.” Ellen stepped forward; her hand clasped together in what Wendy knew was a habit when she was worried.

“You can take a look, since you both are her sisters through marriage. But the healers insist on non-medical personnel staying out of the array being used to help with the healing.”

Wendy winced after Fiana finished. Healing arrays were only used on those that had undergone extensive surgery, and if she had been worked on for three days, or so, that meant that Riley was on the verge of death, or at least very, very injured.

Once Fiana and Scarlet stepped aside, the entry to the closed off room opened, and the twins got a look at their sister-in-law for the first time in months.

“By the Ancients!” Ellen gasped, while Wendy just clenched her teeth and hands.

Riley looked like nothing more than a blackened husk. Her skin had been entirely burned off, and if she hadn’t been a Tier five Hunter it was likely that the damage done to her surface would’ve been reflected in the rest of her.

Wendy knew that whatever had done this to Riley would’ve been more than enough to utterly incinerate a Legendary being.

“She’s being kept numb, but she woke up not long ago. She was able to answer questions through blinking, and it seems that, besides the obvious damage to her body, her soul merely underwent extreme pressure and strain. Not enough to break it, but she won’t be using magic actively until after her body is healed.” This time it was Scarlet who spoke, and with a gentle nudge, pushed the twins back and away from the sealed off recovery room. “From what we understand, as brief as Shine’s words were, she was the only reason the Legacy didn’t collapse from draining its mana, keeping us all alive.”

The twins were quiet, but Wendy felt a sinking sensation welling up in her stomach as she realized what that meant for her brother.

“Ezekiel took her place, didn’t he...” Wendy saw her sister bite her lip and glare hatefully at nothing. She felt like doing the same, but the exasperation and fatigue overwhelmed the anger.

“The Guardian confirmed as much, yes.” Scarlet muttered, while Fiana let out an annoyed grunt and profane curse at the situation. “However, the Guardian has also stated that the cycle of energy that is being brought in is much greater than what Riley was channeling before. To the point that it’s actually gaining energy, even with the trials being run, rather than simply breaking even. It will even be possible for Ezekiel to take a break within a few more days. You should be able to speak with him then.”

The twins let out sighs of relief in tandem when they heard this.

“Now then, it’s time for the both of you to get checked up on as well.” Scarlet made a shooing motion, and the twins found themselves surrounded by a number of tired looking Life and Death Mages. “While it’s good to see that your experiment has finally succeeded without any obvious issues, we need to confirm that there are no hidden problems that are going to create issues in the future.”

Ellen’s face twisted into something that made it look like she’d smelt something foul, while Wendy merely slumped forward, and allowed herself to be pulled into a separate area. One that had trees grown into a small grove for privacy.

“Let’s get this over with. I want to meditate on what we discovered before we forget it later,” she said to her sister who was twitching at how she was being poked and prodded with glowing green and indigo fingers. “Hopefully we haven’t seared away any of our Spirit Paths like the first time we did this.”

Ellen shuddered in tandem with her as the memory of that painful experiment resurfaced in their minds. Their Spirits feathers grew ruffled when they too shook from the traumatic memories.

It took a little while, but eventually the healers gave them both clean bills of health, and the twins were able to give an accurate recount of their experiences.

Not long after that, they began the difficult process of trying to meditate while worrying about more people being hurt, and whether or not their brother had any good news from the surface.

----------

Everything hurt, but it wasn’t anything different from the norm at this point. He had done a lot of stupid things that had gotten him into bad situations. Ones where his suffering eventually made him stronger. This time was no different, nor was it by any means the worst he’d been through.

How are you doing? Shine asked after some time had passed. I’m sorry, but I still haven’t found anything... We might need to take a break. I’m not sure how long you’ve been channeling mana, nor how long I’ve been searching, but we shouldn’t push too hard. Not right now.

... Fine. Go check-in with the Guardian. If he says there’s enough energy stored in the Legacy, we’ll take a break. Ezekiel reluctantly agreed with his Spirit but had to concede the point that he was tired. Taking in so much of a single mana type was surprisingly draining on his [Will].

Especially since he must've 3 been at this for several days at least. All while more mana per minute was passing through him faster than what Riley was Channeling per several hours. At least, if his senses from before were correct.

I’ll be back soon. Shine’s presence disappeared from Ezekiel’s soul, and he found himself alone, and burning once more when his Spirit Armor disappeared.

He was prepared this time, however, and a reinforced dermal barrier sprung up around him. It was specifically designed to act as a one-way barrier for heat, so his flesh didn’t burn this time.

It was an altered spell that he had come up with after obtaining what would’ve been an [Understanding] of Flames that was well beyond his own.

He didn’t know how much later it was, but Shine finally came back with good news.

The Guardian says that the trials can be maintained for a few days with how much mana you’ve converted into something usable. You can take a break.

Then, there was a squeezing sensation before he could reply, and he found himself inside another room with rapidly cooling lava pooling behind him. Shine glowed red hot from the heat of the world’s core, but Ezekiel’s barrier held up.

For a moment, he sat there, dealing with the sudden shift in temperature.

“C’mon... I want to go see my family.” Ezekiel stood up, and a hole appeared in the wall next to him. He donned his Spirit Armor before heading out. “How were they?”

For the moment, Ezekiel kept his senses restrained. Now that he knew that they were relatively safe, Ezekiel didn’t bother reaching out to check on them. At least for now.

“They seemed fine, but I didn’t speak with any of them. I just gave a message to whomever heard it before joining you. It’s been more than a week, though, so I think things are okay?”

Ezekiel didn’t like the uncertainty in Shine’s voice, but it was fine. He would know if his family was dead at this point. There could be nothing worse in his mind, so he [Gander Sense] would’ve certainly warned him earlier if something had happened.

It was several minutes later that he walked into a brightly lit cavern. Dozens upon dozens of Hunters, a mix of both his own expedition and that of Riley’s, were mingling quietly, only to fall totally silent once he appeared.

However, Ezekiel ignored all that and strode toward a structure with the leafy symbol for a Life Mages medical tent on the side of it.

Fiana and Scarlet stood among the Scholars and Hunters guarding it. They and the others all moved to the side. George stepped out of the small building at that moment but hurried to the side when he saw Ezekiel.

He had barely made it two steps into the room when he was tackled by two human missiles. His sisters, who had been sitting by the bedside of a female figure with reddened skin and short red hair.

While his sisters sobbed into his chest, Ezekiel carried them over to the bed before sitting down.

No words were said when he took Riley’s hand in his own. He just sat there, quietly, and tiredly, but with a smile on his face.

“I’m here,” he whispered.

Riley leaned into him, wrapping her arms around both him and his sisters.

“Welcome back,” she whispered, but sounded more raspy.

Their Spirits did nothing to interrupt them, and Ezekiel basked in the presence of his remaining family. There were two people missing, but he had faith that he would see them again as well.

For now, he would settle for what he had. In a couple of days, when he had finished checking things over, and speaking more in depth with the Guardian, he would get back to work.