The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3
Page 59
“What say you?” the dragon asked.
Roy smiled through his pain. “I say fuck destiny. Give me your power.”
The dragon let out another bellow before raising on its foreclaws. “Then speak my name... CIPHERION!”
Roy let out a mighty roar, shouting the dragon god’s name at the top of his lungs. A breath later, the deity lifted an icy blue claw and reached towards the void adept, pressing its tip into his bare chest.
An inescapable cold assaulted Roy’s senses, swirling around his form before attacking his body like a myriad of daggers, penetrating his flesh and soul. Roy squeezed his eyes shut as the power began to overwhelm him, tearing at the very fabric of his existence. Then the cold intensified and everything faded to black once more.
****
Roy opened his eyes, only to find himself back in the pinnacle once more. His body, still bloodied and battered, was still laid out across the table. However, something swelled within his spirit that he hadn’t felt before.
As the void adept began to sit up, his spirit scan came to life.
//////////
Divine Power enhancement underway...
Analyzing power source...
Reconfiguring energy...
Reconfiguring...
Enhancement complete!
Divine power: Deep Freeze has been upgraded!
New skill:
Divine Power: Will of Cipherion
/////////
Moving with purpose, Roy climbed off the table and made his way through the door, icy energy dancing across his skin as he re-entered the first hall. It was there he saw Wrath, facing off with a beaten down Leila, the man’s hand around Kimoura’s throat.
“Still breathing, I see?” The shadow adept mocked, squeezing Kimoura’s neck just a bit tighter. “I can’t say the same for your friend here.”
“Let her go, you bastard,” Roy replied, his voice as cold as ice.
“You’re going to regret talking to me like that!” Wrath growled, taken back by the void adept’s newfound confidence. In a show of dominance, the shadow adept hoisted Kimoura up and flung her across the room. Leila reacted instantaneously, diving to her left and cradling Kimoura in her arms as she slid across the stone floor.
“Keep her safe,” Roy said, locking his gaze on Wrath.
A look of surprise crossed Leila’s face. “Damnit, Roy what are you-“. Were the only words the wind adept got out before she caught sight of Roy’s icy cold stare. After that, the hall fell silent.
Roy and Wrath stood face to face, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen comrades and overseen by the statues of the four dragon gods. A mystique began to permeate the air as if unseen forces were watching the events of the pinnacle transpire from above...
Then the pair unleashed their spirits and went to war.
Wrath was the first to act, charging forward as shadowy tendrils formed at his sides. To him, Roy was a mere fledgling adept, an opponent to be dominated and dismissed...
Unfortunately for him, he had little knowledge of the power Roy now possessed.
“You’ve destroyed my home and attacked my family... those are things I can never forgive!” As Roy spoke, the icy blue energy within him began to swirl around his body, strengthening with every word. “And now you’ve come for me... Well, it’s time you felt some wrath of your own. Cipherion’s will!”
As Wrath closed in, Roy’s body exploded with light. The icy aura around him transformed, taking the form of a translucent blue dragon as it encapsulated his form. The spirit energy in his palm underwent a transformation of its own, taking the form of an icy long sword that gleamed with unmatched power... an exact replica of Cipherion’s tooth.
Sensing the sudden shift in energy, Wrath tried to reverse course. However, there would be no escape from a dragon’s will. Closing the distance, Roy leapt forward and cut through Wrath‘a defenses, plunging the weapon into the shadow adept’s chest. A breath later, dozens of icy spires exploded out of the shadow adept’s back, annihilating the adept in a way that only a dragon could.
And once again, the chamber filled with silence.
Roy dropped to his knees in exhaustion as Cipherion’s power began to fade, returning to its dormant state within his spirit. Truthfully, he couldn’t believe he was still conscious. The strain on his aura had felt so immense for those few short seconds… it was so great that he was certain another attempted strike would’ve literally tore the fabric of his soul asunder.
As the void adept began to collect himself, he eyed Kimoura struggling to her feet. “Roy...” she stammered, making her way towards him. “What in Bahamut’s shiny scales did you do?”
Roy began to respond, but a sudden burst of shadow energy stole the words out of his mouth. He watched in horror as the decimated body of Wrath rose to its feet, held together with shadow aura like a shambling corpse. He took aim at him with a final technique as his innards spilled out through his shadow stitching. “You destroyed my body, foolish voidling... but you’ve failed to eradicate my soul. Now die! Shadow skill: underworld ser-“
Wrath’s words and his technique were suddenly cut short as a sword blade pierced his one remaining eye. A breath later, the man fell lifeless to the ground, revealing the newly resurrected form of Varyon Risen, Roy’s katana held firmly in his grasp.
Slowly, the temporal adept knelt beside Wrath as the fallen adept’s soul essence rose into the air. “I once thought you a brother, but you showed me what a brother was not... so I thank you.”
Physically exhausted and spiritually drained, Roy tried to hang on as he processed what had happened, as his companions began to stir. But with nothing left to give, the void adept collapsed into his back with arms outstretched... and then, he finally let darkness take hold.
****
Days later, the group of adepts found themselves seated around the large, ornate table, a table once used by the council of claws. At its head sat Leila, her dark passenger now uncaged on her arm and now fully under her control. To her right were Remley, Quinn and Kai. And to her right sat Varyon, Jakki and Zyr.
During their bout with Wrath, Jakki had gone into hiding with the cryofox pup, burrowing themselves into a crevice in the statue of Radeon. Zyr, however, had suffered some unquestionably grizzly wounds. As the fight went on, the chimera adept had been quite literally plucked out of the castle before being mauled by Wrath’s spirit summon. However, when the dust had settled the others found Zyr clinging to life atop the castle’s roof. When asked about how he survived, the chimera adept merely gave his cohorts a toothy grin, keeping his secrets well hidden.
Yoshiro sat in the far corner of the room, leaning back in his chair as he fought to keep from dozing. And at the far end of the table sat the group’s power couple, Kimoura and Roy. Through their journey to the pinnacle, the pair’s bond had grown stronger than either of them could have imagined. That strength shined through in the direst of situations when Roy chose her fate over that of the realms. Was it a mistake? He wasn’t sure... but at least he’d have Kimoura at his side to find out.
“So...” Leila said, drawing the group's attention. “What do we do now?”
“I’d say rest would be a wonderful choice,” Remley replied, leaning back in his chair. “We did just travel the entire northern reaches before having a spirikai wipe the floors with us.”
“And it was wonderful... violent and wonderful!” Jakki added, drawing a chuckle from Rem.
Suddenly Varyon rose from his seat, a look of contemplation on his thin, angular face. “Despite everything that’s happened, despite all the trials we’ve faced, we were all brought here together.”
“He’s right,” Kimoura added, raising a wrapped fist into the air. “We’re a family.”
“A family without a home,” Quinn interjected, gnashing on his reed.
“Wait a second,” Roy said. “What about here?”
The others began to survey the hall, the notion quickly bringing more questions than answ
ers. Remley however, began to grin. “It would give us time to explore this damned castle. According to my father, this place holds many secrets.”
Roy knew that more than anyone. Somehow, he’d briefly used one of the castle’s many statues to commune with what he assumed was a damned god. How much that had to do with his divine power and what involvement Yoshiro had remained to be seen, but he intended on finding out.
Kai leaned forward, pounding an enthusiastic fist on the table. “It could also lend us an advantage against those damn adepts of the veil.”
“It’s settled then,” Leila declared, once again drawing the group's attention. Moving with purpose, the wind adept reached into her tunic and pulled out a piece of parchment, unrolling it across the table’s center. “I’m tired of being chased. We rally here until we can make our move against the spiders. Now get your names on the guild charter, my wolves... because the pinnacle is no more.”
“It is?” Remley asked.
Leila nodded. “The pinnacle is gone. On this mountaintop now stands the Sky Wolves Guild Hall!”
Epilogue
In the darkest of dungeons beneath the city of Shadowreach, Seline Bonaduce sat alone. Bound by chains and a number of spirit shackles, the woman sat in a cell by her lonesome, both her aura and her dragon spirit caged deep within her core.
The passage of time had been lost to the silver flame adept, a side effect of her imprisonment and the absence of light. Truly, the only thing she had left was hope... and even that was quickly fleeting.
The slightest of sounds met Seline’s ears, causing the woman to perk up. Often the only visitor she had was a dark adept delivering her daily meal. It was also possible that Blackstar had returned for more of his ruthless interrogation, but she couldn’t let that possibility infiltrate her thoughts... not with her hope hanging by such a thin line of thread.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in front of her shifted, creating a distorted image in front of her eyes. That image solidified, taking the form of a ghostly woman with an otherworldly sprite attached to her arm.
“Ezry!” Seline whispered as tears began to swell in her eyes. “Your alive!”
Without speaking, the blade dancer pressed her lips into Seline’s, blinking away tears of her own. “I’m sorry it took so long to find you. I looked everywhere. I tried-“
“Shhhh,” Seline interrupted, pressing her head against her lover’s shoulder. “It’s fine... the view is actually lovely down here.”
Ezry let out an awkward chuckle before placing her hand on Seline’s chin. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but your vacation’s over.”
Seline’s eyes lit up as Ezry lifted her hand, revealing an intricate set of runic keys. A breath later, her expression morphed into one of resolve... She was going to make Jeryn Blackstar pay for not killing her.
It was time to set the glorious silver dragon free.
****
Jeryn Blackstar stood stoically atop his darksteel fortress, surveying the city that he had come to claim. Thousands of adepts from the dark guilds had gathered within the city’s walls, along with hundreds of more darkbeasts under their command. It was truly a formidable force, and yet... those closest to him had left his side.
Varyon had renounced his allegiance and left to join their sworn enemies, an outcome that had always lingered in the back of Jeryn’s mind. Wrath however, had simply vanished... abandoning his post at the height of their success. But why? Had he failed to breed the weakness out of those he held close? Well, if he did return then he’d pay the price...
As Blackstar pondered the failures of his disciples, a strange power signature caught his eye. In the distance, a cloud of devilish aura made its way over the city wall... and within it, a sight that truly left him in awe. Making its way into Shadowreach was one of the legendary darkbeasts, Grimegore, a being spoken only spoken about in veil legend. And on its back was none other than the devil adept himself, Ayzeth Kaito.
“The prodigal son has returned,” Blackstar muttered, his face stretching into a grin. Perhaps it was time for a new second in command after all.
****
Zekefreid the sky shadow trudged across Bahamut’s observatory, still in a state of disbelief. How?! How could one of the outrealmers that he had hand-picked turn allegiances so quickly? And to Cipherion, that smug, self-indulgent ass of a dragon god?
“This is preposterous...” Zekefreid muttered, frustration evident in his usual smooth voice.
“And yet, it is...” Bahamut responded, his voice nearly knocking Zeke off his feet.
Zekefreid sighed. “So what now, Bahamy? Shall I go down there and make him pay for his poor choices?” The sky shadow drew his blade and stepped towards the portal, ready to make his dive towards the realm.
“No,” Bahamut replied. “Cipherion has made his claim, and that is something I will deal with.”
Zekefreid furrowed his brow. “Then what of your champion?”
For the first time in nearly a millennia, the corner of the Dragon God’s mouth curved into what was the beginning of a smile. “There is another.”
The end of
Sorrows of Starlight
Roy Skyworth’s Character Sheet
Name: Roy Skyworth
Void Adept
Rank: 3rd
Specialization: Dark Vanguard
Divine Power: Cipherion’s Will
//////////
Base Skills (the pillars of the adept):
Body Reinforcement
Aura Blast
Spirit Evocation
Meditation
Void skills:
Aura Bullet
Void Boxing
Specialized skills:
Dark Spiral
Void Grenade
Aura Cannon
//////////
Spirit Growth:
Aura growth at 120% to rank 4
Inventory:
1 Phoenix City Police Badge
The Void Claw
1 Arc Launcher
1 Chimera Core
1 Finely crafted Adept’s Attire
//////////
Adepts
Adept Rankings
The following are titles given to adepts when they achieve a specific rank. Adepts can increase in rank through refining their skills and absorbing soul essence.
Adepts beyond the 12th ranking fall under a different branch of classifications. The highest known ranking is Saint.
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
Adept Auras
Each adept has unique spirit aura attuned to a different element of Eon. The following is a list of known elements and their counterparts.
Fire – Water
Earth – Air
Light – Shadow
Void – Temporal
Gravitational – Force
Devil – Exalted
Beast – Metal
Other known types of spirit aura
Dream / nightmare
Other Books by Darren Hultberg Jr
-The Ashverse -
(Books contained in the Ashadar Universe)
The Realmbound Saga
Realmbound: Sword of the Scion
amazon.com/dp/B077WWP458
Realmbound: Sword of the Void
amazon.com/dp/B07BPFPQJ2
Realmbound: Sword of the Ascended (coming soon!)
Aether Gate Online (A litRPG Saga)
The Slayer
amazon.com/dp/B07DV6Y571
The Blade Guardian
The Azure Warden
The Adept Archives
Edge of Eons
Bounty of Blades
Sorrows of Starlight
Legends of Ascension
Vagrant Sword
-Other Series-
The Heroes Rising Series
Hero Hun
ter
amazon.com/dp/B07GW2Z3YD
About the Author
Darren is the Amazon bestselling author of THE SLAYER, the superhero saga HEROES RISING, and the post-apocalyptic fantasy series REALMBOUND.
Embarking on adventures in strange and unfamiliar worlds at an early age, Darren has been heavily involved in the worlds of comic books, anime, science fiction, and especially high fantasy.
As he grew older, Darren attended community college in 2008, graduating with a degree in childhood education. Later he decided to follow his passion and pursue his dream of writing. He currently resides in Florida with his wife and two children.
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