Edge of Eons

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  “Instructor Jin,” a commanding voice echoed from the scrying orb, filling the lab with its presence. “To what do I owe the displeasure?”

  Jin visibly sunk back in his chair. “H-headmaster Zion. I’m sorry to bother you at this time but-“

  “Spit it out, Jin,” the headmaster’s voice thundered, causing Jin to jump.

  “I apologize, Headmaster,” Jin replied, regaining his composure. “But I must make a complaint. That dog that you allow to linger around, Remley Bonaduce, has once again stolen from me!”

  Zion’s shadowy figure shifted slightly in the orb. “And what did he steal?”

  “A number of pills for refining and regeneration, and a handful of elixirs,” Jin’s cheeks turned a shade of crimson as he spoke.

  Silence filled the lab as Zion considered the information. Then finally he replied, “Let him be.”

  “But Headmaster?! How can we idly sit by and watch as someone steals my... no, our resources?!” Jin was practically yelling into the orb at this point.

  Zion sighed. “Would you consider Remley to be a resourceful adept?”

  “I suppose I would...” Jin responded, unsure where the headmaster was going.

  “And is he not the member of a group of dungeon divers?”

  Jin nodded. “He is...”

  “Then it would be safe to assume Remley’s gathering supplies for a dungeon dive, one that will likely produce a valuable relic.”

  Suddenly a grin began to form on Jin’s face as he began to understand Zion’s method of thinking. “Of course, a relic obtained with our resources. A relic that will rightfully belong to us… one that we will take from him.”

  Zion’s shadowy face formed into a smile. “It would only be suitable, seeing that he stole from the academy.”

  “And when he doesn’t relinquish the relic?” Jin probed.

  Zion let out a chuckle. “Then we do to him what we do to anyone that crosses us... We crush him.”

  Jin leaned back in his seat as the image of the headmaster faded from the scrying orb. Immediately images of Remley’s crushed body began to filter through his mind, of the man crying out in pain as his spirit was snuffed out for good.

  It made him smile.

  Chapter 9

  Venerable Assassin of the Thousand-legged Spiders Guild

  Mid-day, Atherune City

  Roy stood near the city’s northern gate for what seemed like an eternity while Remley disappeared into the large, jade academy in search of “necessary training supplies”. At least now that he had proper adept attire, he wasn’t getting odd looks from the locals. That was good, as it gave Roy the opportunity to do a little observing of his own.

  Using his newly upgraded spirit scan, he began gathering information about some of the people on the streets. Most of the men and women he scanned were of the 1st or 2nd rank and sported various types of spirit auras. A few of them didn’t even register as adepts at all, which led Roy to believe they had no control over their spirit. Common people.

  As he gazed about, Roy did manage to spot a few adepts that piqued his interest. A water adept of the low 3rd rank eased through the crowd, juggling globes of water in each hand to build focus. On the far end of the street, a rough-skinned earth adept trudged about, a mantle of rock resting on his broad shoulders, and to his right, a light adept with a shimmering halo of pure aura fell in line behind a small troop of jade guards. Although he may have been gawking, Roy couldn’t deny that he found each new adept that he came across quite fascinating.

  Just as Roy was about to check for Remley, another adept caught his eye. Lingering near the end of the crowded street stood a man shrouded in a tunic of black. He was tall and lean, with long, disheveled hair a shade lighter than his shirt. The man’s dark eyes scanned over the crowd with a sort of tamed ferocity, the left side of his face covered in a large, vertical scar.

  Roy leaned warily against the gate and gave the man a scan.

  //////////

  Varyon

  Temporal Adept

  Rank: 4th

  Specialization: Assassin

  Divine Power: Hidden

  //////////

  Roy nearly staggered as he read the data in front of him.... 4th rank? The only person he’d seen of higher rank than three had been his mysterious savior, Zekefreid. He straightened himself and examined the man’s spirit aura. Despite the man’s power level, his temporal aura merely flickered like a small, blue flame in his chest. Perhaps this Varyon was somehow concealing his power. Well, it didn’t trick Roy’s spirit scan.

  Noticing Roy’s stare, the scarred adept turned his fierce gaze on the officer, locking eyes with him for several seconds before moving in his direction. A surge of panic shot through Roy as his jaw tightened and his muscles tensed. Suddenly, in that crowded square, he felt far more vulnerable.

  Varyon approached, weaving through the crowd like a living shadow, each long stride made with purpose as he began to close in. Did he know that Roy had scanned him? Was that even possible?

  Roy considered running but he had nowhere to go and fighting the man wouldn’t be much of a fight at all. He had to think of something and quick. He had to-

  “Roy?” Remley’s voice made him nearly jump out of his tunic. He spun to see the cheery adept standing at his side, a huge leather sack slung over one of his shoulders. “Ready to head out, then?”

  Roy spun back around and scanned the street for the scarred man but, saw no sign of his fierce gaze or sharp features. He was so certain that the man had been coming in his direction... was he just being paranoid?

  “Roy? Remley asked again, a tinge of concern now evident in his voice.

  “Sorry,” Roy replied, shaking off his feelings of unease. “Just taking in the sights.”

  ****

  The two left the safety of the city’s walls and traveled for what felt like an hour, following a beaten path through the area’s northern forest. The city gates had been opened to travelers once the worldstar had neared its peak in the sky and rightfully so. The surrounding forest seemed far safer without the veil. Still, Roy could hear the chitterlings of creatures that lied just beyond his sight.

  “Ah, here we are,” Remley said, pausing at a rather large, charcoal colored tree before turning off the path. The pair traveled for another fifteen minutes down a road much less traveled, weaving through a cluster of trees and hopping a large thicket before they found themselves in a large, grassy clearing.

  Remley walked to the center of the clearing and slid the bag off his shoulder, then began rummaging through its contents. As he searched, another man emerged from the far wall of trees and began heading in their direction.

  This newcomer was tall and sturdy looking, sporting a disheveled brown tunic and cloak that wrapped around his neck and shoulders. His chestnut colored hair sat in a mess atop his head, shifting with each step before it eventually fell in front of his eyes. Patches of black stubble grew from the man’s chin, moving with each oscillation of his jaw as he chewed on a long, green reed.

  If Roy had to guess, then he assumed that this man was some sort of woodsman. Hell, even his earthy green aura seemed rugged in nature.

  Curious, he gave him a scan.

  //////////

  Quinn

  Earth Adept

  Rank: 3rd

  Specialization: Dread Hunter

  Divine Power: None

  //////////

  Quinn returned Roy’s stare with a puzzling look of his own, then quickly shifted his gaze over to Remley. “So, this is our new recruit, Rem? Some spirin with a wild aura?”

  Remley chuckled. “I don’t know if I’d consider him a spirin yet. He doesn’t even have a spec chosen.”

  Quinn sighed as if this sort of thing was typical from his soulblade counterpart. Still, he was far less abrasive about Roy’s presence than Leila had been.

  As Remley and Quinn broke into discussion, Roy took the time to do a little investigating of his own. He focused on
the word that Quinn had called him... spirin. Suddenly, a window appeared in his vision.

  //////////

  Spirin: The official title given to a low-ranking adept.

  Adept rankings in the realm of Eon:

  Spirin: Ranks 1st and 2nd

  Spiriteka: Ranks 3rd to 5th

  Spirikai: Ranks 6th to 8th

  Spirit lord: Ranks 9th and 10th

  Spirit Magus: Ranks 11th and 12th

  Adepts can increase in rank through refining their skills, channeling their aura and absorbing soul essence. Increasing one’s title requires greater milestones be achieved.

  Adepts beyond the 12th ranking fall under a different branch of classifications.

  //////////

  Spirin, eh? Roy thought to himself. It was a title to indicate one’s level as novice. Well, he’d been a novice when he entered the police academy and that didn’t stop him from rising to the top of his class. He would just have to rise here as well.

  After several seconds of digging, Remley emerged from the satchel with a pair of thick, leather-bound manuals in his hand. “Ah, and here we are!”

  Quinn rolled his eyes as Remley tore open one of the manuals and began thumbing through the pages with a rather inquisitive look on his face. He squinted as his eyes scanned the pages, so much so that Roy was certain if bifocals existed in this realm, then Rem would be slapping them on at any second. Finally, he lifted his gaze to Roy and smiled.

  “Alright then Roy, let’s get started! Now, the first thing we need to do is gain control of that spirit aura of yours. A strong aura is a basis for every strong adept, no matter the strength.”

  “Did you just read that out of that book?” Roy asked, suddenly wary of Rem’s guidance.

  Remley just chuckled. “Eons, no. I’m just reading ahead. What I have here is a void adept’s manual, something a bit beyond your level until you learn the basics. Now, enough questions. Focus on your spirit aura.”

  Roy nodded and turned his focus inward, envisioning the dark-violet spirit energy coursing through his veins. It flowed through his body like a rushing river, crashing through his limbs and swirling in his chest like a wild, uncontrollable force, like a power that he felt but didn’t quite have the knowledge to tap into fully.

  “Good,” Remley said, watching Roy carefully as his eyes shut and he fell into a realm of complete concentration. “Now, you may find this difficult, but I need you to try and slow the flow of your spirit aura.”

  Roy furrowed his brow as he slowed his breathing and tried to follow Remley’s instructions. It was as if he was trying to flex a hundred different muscles that he didn’t know he had. Every time he focused, it seemed his spirit aura intensified... and he was supposed to slow it down?

  “Breathe, kid,” Quinn reiterated in his deep voice as he chewed away at his reed. “Put your mind in a place of calm. Then, start at the very center of your body and work your way outwards.”

  Roy nodded again, this time resetting himself as he slowed his breathing to a near-meditative state. A place of calm, he thought to himself, drowning out the sounds of the surrounding forest as his body naturally fell into a fighting stance.

  Seconds later, Roy closed his eyes and he was no longer in that strange forest. No, now he was back at home standing in the dim light of his unfinished basement. The smell of sweat reached his nose as he hammered away at his punching bag, knuckles aching with a familiar pain as he slammed his fists into it with all of his might. This was his place of calm. There were no more problems, no more strange creatures or powers to control. It was just his fists and the bag. His fists and the….

  “Roy!” Remley’s voice pulled Roy out of his meditative state, forcing his eyes to snap open. “You’re doing it!”

  A bit surprised, Roy focused on his spirit aura and found that indeed it had been tamed…. Well, at least for the moment anyway. His void aura, once wild and untamed, now circled through his body like the calm, deliberate churns of a windmill. He smiled, feeling accomplished at having achieved his goal so quickly… and then he lost it.

  “Damnit,” Roy muttered, clenching his fists in frustration.

  “Don’t fret it,” Remley quickly reassured him. You’re building an excellent foundation. Now, just practice this until its second nature and we can move on to the next step!”

  And practice, he did. For what seemed like hours, Roy worked on controlling his aura, taking his mind to that calm place while still trying to retain function of the rest of his body. Once he felt like he was getting somewhere, Remley picked up a very large stick and started swinging it at him, forcing him to duck and dodge the attacks while maintaining firm control of his spirit aura. It was quite difficult, and Quinn found it all too amusing, nearly spitting out his reed when Roy made a misstep and absorbed a rather solid blow to the top of the head. Still, by the end of the Remley’s little exercises, Roy was confident that he’d wrestled control of his spirit.

  Suddenly, a notification appeared in the form of a translucent screen in his vision.

  //////////

  Base skill obtained: Spirit Focus

  //////////

  Roy fought back a grin.

  “Very good, wouldn’t you say Quinn?” Remley said emphatically. “Now, I’d say you’re ready for the next step!”

  “Bring it,” Roy replied, drawing a slight nod of approval from Quinn. The fledgling void adept was dripping with sweat and his body was aching from spiritual exertion, but he didn’t care. As far as Roy was concerned, you weren’t making progress until you started to feel the pain.

  Remley set his leather manual on the ground and positioned himself in front of Roy, eying him carefully. “Now that you have a decent enough grasp of your spirit aura, it’s time to learn some proper aura manipulation,” Remley straightened his stance and put his arms out at his sides. “There are two primary techniques that act as a basis for every skill and every specialization. The first is using your spirit aura to reinforce your body… and the second is channeling your spirit aura into an external force. Here, let me demonstrate.”

  Remley took a step back and began channeling his spirit aura into his fist, causing the limb to glow a faint red. Then, without warning, he leaped to the side and slammed his fist into a nearby tree. Pieces of bark and wood flew into the air as his fist left a sizable crater in the tree’s trunk. His hand, however, seemed unscathed.

  Roy was familiar with this technique. He’d done something similar, albeit at a much cruder level when he faced off against the butcher. That, coupled with his innate fighting ability, allowed him to pick up the technique relatively quickly. Under Remley’s guidance, he practiced channeling his aura into different points in his body until a spirit-enhanced kick caused a notification to appear in his vision.

  //////////

  Base skill obtained: Body Reinforcement

  //////////

  Roy pumped his fist in celebration, though the other two just gave him strange looks. He’d almost forgotten that the spirit notifications were exclusive to him. “I’m ready for the next one,” Roy urged, ready to take on the next challenge.

  “You’re sure?” Quinn asked. “It can take people days to learn proper body reinforcement… sometimes weeks if they’re slow.”

  Roy nodded, then quickly fell into a fighting stance. Channeling his spirit aura, he sent pulses of void energy into his fist as he slammed them into the side of a nearby tree. The wood cracked and splintered as pieces of the tree fell to the ground, unable to withstand the power of Roy’s assault. The holes weren’t quite as big as Remley’s, but they were impressive enough. After a quick flurry, Roy turned to regard Quinn who shrugged and continued to gnaw on his reed.

  “Fair enough.”

  “Alright then,” Remley said, guiding Roy back towards the center of the clearing. “Your final lesson for today will be channeling your spirit aura into an external force of energy. Here, let me show you.” Remley cupped his hands at his side and channeled his aura into
a burning ball of fire that grew to the size of his fist. Then without warning, he threw his arms forward and launched it right at Quinn.

  //////////

  Fire skill: Fireball

  //////////

  Quinn’s eyes went wide, and the reed fell from his lips as the ball of pitch came barreling at his face. Acting on instinct, the man raised his arms as long, ivory spikes jutted from his forearms to deflect the blow.

  //////////

  Dread Hunter skill: Bone Armor

  //////////

  Remley chuckled as plumes of smoke rose from Quinn’s forearms. “Look at that Roy, you got a two for one show!”

  Quinn shook his head in annoyance, then promptly plucked his reed off the ground and shoved it back in his mouth.

  “Now, it’s your turn,” Remley said, turning back to Roy. “Focus your spirit aura just like you did before, but this time channel it directly into the meridian in your palm.”

  Roy cocked an eyebrow. “Meridian?”

  “Yeah,” Quinn interjected. “They’re like the pressure points of your spirit. They can act as gates to restrict your aura to certain parts of your body, or outlets to channel skills. The one in your palm is the easiest to channel.”

  Roy stared at his open palm for a second, then immediately began channeling his void aura into it. Black-violet energy began to form above his hand, twisting and turning as if he was trying to contain a ball of lightning.

  “Good!” Remley said. “Now cup with your free hand and throw it!”

  Roy tried to mimic Remley’s previous attack by cradling the ball of energy in his hands, but it proved much harder than just channeling aura through his body. He was certain that his martial skill and physical conditioning had aided in his body reinforcement training, but this... hell, he’d never done anything even close to this before.