by Aaron Oster
In this world, he could feel nothing of his injuries, nor did he have any of his senses aside from sight and sound. It was a vastly different experience from the Soul Well, as he hadn’t heard anything from the Well itself, though he had a feeling that would be coming soon enough. Still, as he watched the silver mists collect and begin to solidify, he could only think of one thing.
It didn’t take long before Sarah was floating before him, her image pale and ghostly. She appeared to be fraying at the edges, and while she wore a dress, there were no actual signs of either her hands or feet, only a long, billowy curtain making up her lower half and her hands either invisible inside the wide sleeves or nonexistent altogether.
When she opened her eyes and saw him, the smile that lit up her face was just as he remembered.
“You made it,” she said, her voice sounding in his mind, though she moved her lips. “I knew you would.”
Morgan took a half step forward, reaching out to touch her, but his hand drifted through her shoulder. He sighed, pulling his hand back and giving her a sad smile.
“I’m sorry I haven’t restored you to your body yet, but I promise that I’m well on my way.”
“There’s no need for you to rush into constant danger for my sake,” Sarah replied. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“But aren’t you bored in there?” Morgan asked.
Sarah laughed at the blurted question, and Morgan found himself smiling. He’d missed that laugh more than he’d realized.
“Time doesn’t really have any relevance to me at the moment. It seems like I was talking to you only seconds ago.”
“Well, you were talking to me just a few minutes ago, so technically, not that much time has passed.”
Sarah shook her head, though.
“I mean since I spoke with you during your battle with the Pinnacle King.”
Morgan slowly nodded, remembering well their strange encounter during his battle with Pentagon, in which she’d berated him for blaming himself for her death. Of course, that was exactly what he’d been doing during his battle with the Beast King, but this time, she’d offered nothing but support.
“If you were able to manifest outside of the Soul Well, why haven’t I heard from you since? I’m not accusing you of anything, but I’ve… missed you,” he said.
The fact that he wasn’t able to reach out and touch her, to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, was more painful than any wound he’d endured during his entire trip through the Well. Only the knowledge that he was one step closer to getting her back prevented him from breaking down in front of her. Well, it was that, and the fact that he was so happy to see her that he couldn’t take the risk of her leaving again.
“It took all I had to manifest before you,” she admitted. “I used up so much of my energy that I was unable to do much more than exist. I could hear you calling to me, and though it hurt me more than you can imagine, I wasn’t able to answer back.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said quickly, half raising his hand to try and comfort her, before quickly dropping it again. “It’s thanks to you that I even managed to make it through that battle in the first place. If anything, it’s my fault you had to exert yourself so much.”
Sarah gave him a smile at that, moving her hand up to brush away silvery tears.
“It’s so good to see you again, Morgan. I don’t know how much time we’ll have in here, so please, tell me everything that’s happened since the last time we spoke.”
So, Morgan did. He told her of Pentagon’s defeat. The discovery of a new Pinnacle King. His battle and victory followed by the ambush by the agents of Chaos. She was just as shocked as he was to find out that he’d been forced to face both a clone of himself and her in battle and was even more shocked to find out how she would need to be resurrected.
“Do you think you can do it?” she asked, biting her bottom lip. “Do you think you can kill someone who looks so much like me?”
“If it means bringing you back, I’d kill a thousand look-alikes,” Morgan said plainly. “Besides, she stabbed me multiple times and tried to kill me. I’ll feel a lot less guilty about killing her now…”
He trailed off, wanting to talk more, but realizing that Sarah might not want to hear about his problems, what with her being dead and all. But, as always, she was quite good at seeing straight through him.
“I can tell something is bothering you. Please, tell me.”
“It’s Grace,” he admitted. “Well, not just her, but everyone I left to fend for themselves. They’re all trapped in a bunker with enemies on all sides. I’m afraid that my choice will cost them all their lives, and if Elyssa is killed, our alliance with Faeland is gone.”
“Although I rarely agree with that asshole, Gold was right to say what he did,” Sarah said with a half-smile. “You need to learn to trust others to take care of themselves. I know I’ve never met her in person, but I’ve heard enough about her and been in close proximity with her on several occasions.
She might be an adorable little sweetheart, but that girl has the heart of a survivor. You need to trust that she can figure out a way to get them out in time. Don’t forget who trained her, after all!”
Morgan had been afraid ever since he’d decided to follow Gold’s plan and had been carrying that weight around with him ever since. But hearing that from someone else made him feel a bit better. Of course, Sarah had always advocated for allowing others to take care of themselves so they could leave, but he chose to ignore that. She was right about Grace, after all, and she had Lumia with her. Together, they would find a way.
“Now… I would like to ask you something,” Sarah said, looking down.
Morgan noticed the change in mood, and from the way she was fidgeting, he could tell she was uncomfortable.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Since you’re trying to bring me back, what are you going to do about the wedding to the elf queen? I would completely understand if you still went through with it, but I…”
“I won’t marry her,” Morgan said. “The whole reason I agreed was because you were supposed to stay dead until I killed all of Chaos’ agents. That was why I put a clause into the marriage that I would leave as soon as all of them were dead; so I could be with you. This is the whole reason I’m doing all this. But since I’m going to make sure you’re back by the two-week deadline Gold gave me, the wedding will have to be called off.”
Sarah’s smile was so bright that it seemed to brighten the entire space, pushing back at the darkness and making her appear even more beautiful than she already was.
“But what about the alliance?” she asked, though her smile didn’t waver.
“With an attack like this, it’s more than enough proof that Elyssa can declare war on the gnomes and be backed by the dwarves and beastmen. Hell, the trolls might even join our side after this, so I don’t think we have anything to worry about on that front.”
“And after the war?” she asked, sounding hopeful.
“I’m sure the rulers of the various countries can figure it out themselves. When this war is over, we’re going to be leaving, going into hiding, and making sure that no one can find us ever again. So that I can finally give you the life you deserve.”
Sarah started tearing up again at that and quickly tried to wipe her tears away.
“You promise?” she asked, still wiping at her eyes.
“I promise,” he said gravely.
Sarah started to fade at that, flowing back into the spear. Their time together was at an end, it seemed, but before she left, Sarah imparted one final piece of information, one that made their parting just a bit less painful.
“We’ll be able to continue talking once you’re outside the Well. I can feel it. I’m getting stronger, just like you are. I won’t be able to manifest or hold long conversations, but speaking with you once a day for a few minutes shouldn’t be too difficult.
I love you, and I’ll see you again soon.”
“I love you too,” Morgan said, but Sarah was already gone.
The spear vanished back into the blackness, and Morgan found himself lying in the pool, submerged up to his neck, with the same silver mists as before floating all around. His RP began to plummet, just as it had before, and within the span of a few seconds, he had nothing left. A moment later, a voice sounded in his mind, although it was quite a bit different from the last time.
This voice sounded much more feminine and not nearly as angry at him for daring to bathe in her Well.
“Who are you, stranger, to bathe in the Well of Eternal Youth?”
Morgan gave her the same answer he had last time, though it was slightly different due to him coming here by choice, instead of being directed by his status.
“I am Morgan, a supermage, and I came here after bathing in the Well of Souls.”
“But that is not all you are, is it?” the Well asked. “No ordinary supermage seeks Eternity, nor could they survive the journey.”
“I am also the Beast King,” Morgan admitted freely. “Although, that is not why I’m here.”
“You call yourself the Beast King, yet I can see in your soul that you are two separate entities, battling one another for dominance. You will never succeed in reaching your goals so long as you are at odds with yourself.”
“I know that,” Morgan replied. “But the Beast King has caused so much pain and suffering that accepting him as part of myself is just too hard.”
“The acceptance of oneself is a pivotal part of one’s personal and spiritual growth,” the Well replied. “Not only that, but I have heard of the promises made within my depths. A promise made here is one imprinted upon your very soul and, if broken, will destroy you completely. To succeed in your goals, you must accept who you are, become one with yourself, or die as a broken being.”
The world grew darker then, and Morgan found himself staring into endless blackness. A moment later, he was squinting into bright sunlight and sitting at the base of the tower of vines. The staircase was gone now – as were all the injuries he’d collected over his journey – and Morgan knew that he would never see the Well again. However, just as with the last time, he felt much stronger, healthier, and had more clarity than he’d had in a long time.
More than that, he now knew with certainty what needed to be done. Sarah needed to be brought back, and if he didn’t succeed, he would die. He could feel it. The Well’s warning imprinted on his very soul. It was somehow fitting that he would die if he failed, but Morgan knew that he wouldn’t.
Sarah would be coming back. He was going to make sure of that.
34
Morgan sat at the base of the towering vine, holding the large core of the Guardian that he’d found in his pocket when he’d awoken outside the Well. The silver spear lay across his lap, and he could feel her warmth even from here. Sarah’s mind was now a constant presence, and although he wanted to reach out and talk to her, he decided that he would allow her to choose when she wanted to speak.
She’d warned him that their communications would be limited, so out of respect to her, he would allow her to choose the times to talk.
Though he wanted nothing more than to rush back to Spirit Town right then, he could tell by the sun's position that it was late morning at best. It would be hours still before it was dark enough for him to risk entering, so he would take this opportunity to rest, inspect his status, and see what this core had to offer.
Lifting the massive core, Morgan had to wonder how it had even fit into his pocket, then dismissed the thought as one of the many great mysteries of the universe he would never know. Well, at least until he reached omniscience… if it were even still possible. He shook himself, dismissing the thought, and opened its status.
Name: Core of the Guardian of Eternal Youth
Rank - 75
Total available energy - 1 Rank/Skill
This Core was taken from the Guardian of Eternal Youth. Unlike other beast cores, the Guardian’s core does not have a set amount of energy. Rather, it will immediately boost the absorber to the next rank or increase a skill by a single stage. The Guardian of Eternal Youth cannot be re-challenged.
It was as Morgan had been expecting, though seeing as this Guardian had been five ranks higher than the last, he’d been hoping for a bit more. He was quite sure which option he’d be choosing this time and opened his status to view the costs of increasing his skills to the next stage.
Skills:
Hypersonic Flight - 25M/100M
Maximum Increase - N/A
Maximum Stormforge - N/A
Earthen Shift - 12M/75M
Nature’s Wrath - 18.5M/25M
Compression - 68M/100M
Maximum Gravity Rift - N/A
Sunblast - 54M/120M
Sand Cyclone - 0/200M
Frenzy - 0/200M
Traits:
Dense Body Max. - N/A
Recovery Max. - N/A
Aura Sense (inherited) - N/A
Aura Flare (inherited) - N/A
Perfect Self - N/A
Soul Stealer - N/A
Suppression (inherited) - N/A
Eternal Youth - N/A
Extra:
Gravity Storm (7th category) - 167M/200M
Starbreaker (7th category) - 202M/240M
Collapsing Star (HyperNova) - 277M/280M
Shooting Star (Comet) - 144M/145M
Massive Meteor (2nd Category) - 110M/370M
Continental Crush - 1.1M/500M
Soulstream - 0/800M
There was a very obvious new trait in his status, but for now, Morgan ignored it in favor of upgrading his Soulstream. It was an easy choice to make. Soulstream would cost him 800-million energy to upgrade, while his next rank was only 380-million by comparison. It would be foolish not to take the chance to upgrade his most powerful skill, so he did. Then, he read over its new description.
Soulstream - The power of your soul manifests in the form of your inner beast, cloaking your body in its incredible power, while leaving you in control. While in this form, any damage received will be instantly healed, though it will shorten the duration of the skill.
Cost - 7,500 RP
Duration - 12 minutes
Cooldown - 22 hours
Morgan was a bit disappointed that the skill didn’t actually seem to change or get any better. As far as he could see, all that had happened was that the cost and cooldown timer had decreased, while the duration had increased. Having an extra two minutes with the skill and being able to use it two hours sooner didn’t justify the 800-million energy cost, but he was going to reserve judgment until after he’d used it.
He dusted his hands free of the remaining core dust, then looked over his full status to see how the Well of Eternal Youth had affected him.
Name: Morgan
Advanced Supermage: Rank - 75
Energy to next rank - 172,112,000/380,000,000
Ability Advancement - 15,000,000/15,000,000 (Max.)
Ability - Natural Disaster
RP - 8,720/8,720 (Regen - 87.2 per second)
Strength - 844
Agility - 1,200
Constitution - 870
Intelligence - 872
Wisdom - 872
Skills - Hypersonic flight, Maximum Increase, Maximum Stormforge, Earthen Shift, Nature’s wrath, Compression, Maximum Gravity Rift, Sunblast, Sand Cyclone, Frenzy
Traits - Dense body Max., Recovery Max., Aura sense (inherited), Aura flare (inherited), Perfect Self, Soul Stealer, Suppression (inherited), Eternal Youth
Extra - Gravity Breaker (10th category), Collapsing star (HyperNova), Shooting star (Inferno), Massive Meteor (2nd category), Continental Crush, Soulstream
First and most immediately obvious were the massive, 100-point increases to both his Strength and Agility. Although he had been expecting the boost since he’d received the same to Intelligence and Wisdom after the Soul Well, he had still been nervous about not getting it. It expla
ined why he now felt so much stronger and so much better than he had before entering.
He was excited to see how his Perfect Self trait had advanced and what the Eternal Youth trait did. He hadn’t been expecting anything extra from bathing in the Well, but since he’d received the Soulstream skill after bathing in the Soul Well, it only made sense.
Perfect Self - The road to the Pinnacle of power is nearly at its end. Gather the required energy and find your Perfect Self.
Progress - 85%
Morgan grinned as he saw that. The trait had grown by another 13%. At the same time, it highlighted that he would still be short of his goal after bathing in the next Well. But, seeing as he’d already known that and knew what needed to be done, it was no surprise. Next, he pulled up his new trait to see what it did.
Eternal Youth - You are eternally youthful. You will never again age, nor will your body fall to the ravages of time. Additionally, you will never fall ill.
Still, you must be wary. The Well of Eternal Youth does not offer protection from injury, and you may still die to the blade of an enemy or a poisoned meal.
It seemed that he’d reached the stages of immortality earlier than predicted. At his rank, Morgan was already destined for a life stretching into thousands of years. To know that he would never age or fall sick again was oddly disconcerting, as it meant that he would eventually outlive everyone.
Did that mean he would one day find himself alone in this world, with everyone he loved or cared about gone forever?
It wasn’t something he wanted to think about right now, so Morgan dismissed those morose thoughts from his mind and instead tried to focus on the positive. He’d cleared the Well of Eternal Youth, grown his Perfect Self trait, and gotten a significant boost to both his Strength and Agility, which meant he was one step closer to bringing Sarah back.
