“Lord Blackstar,” Varyon uttered, his voice firm despite being shaken just moments ago.
A pair of figures emerged from the shadow, spiritual projections that felt all too real to Varyon in the endless darkness of the void. Each wore a tunic so black that they seemed to be woven from shadow themselves. One of the men wore an eye patch across his face, concealing a scar given to him many moons ago. He scowled at Varyon with such disdain that he was certain the man might reach through the void and strangle him. That was Blackstar’s second in command.
Standing directly in front of Varyon was Jeryn Blackstar himself. The man’s eyes were black like his shadowy attire, a stark contrast to his long, white hair that fell loosely at his shoulders. “You’ve failed me,” Blackstar growled. “You’ve failed the guild.”
“Forgive me,” Varyon replied, dropping to a knee and bowing low to his lord. “The group I encountered was surprisingly resourceful, and I was caught off guard. It will not happen again.”
Blackstar shook his head in displeasure, causing the shadows around him to ripple like water. “Pathetic…” Blackstar uttered. “I should leave you to rot.” The man let those words linger for a moment before continuing. “You know what you must do. Hunt them down. Kill anyone they’ve spoken to and bring the relic back to me!” Blackstar’s voice rose to a crescendo as he spoke, causing Varyon to take a step back. After the shadows settled and his nerves calmed, the man finally uttered, “now go.”
“Wait!” Varyon pleaded, drawing a wide-eyed look from his guild leader. “If I may, my lord… I have a question.”
Blackstar let out a prolonged sigh. “Speak…”
“What do you know of my first life, my lord? Before I was taken by the Wraith?”
Blackstar’s eyes went wide, then quickly narrowed as his face formed into a scowl. “Damned fool, you know the answer! Your mother was an assassin. You were born into the thousand-legged spiders and raised to become the assassin that you are today. During an attack on a rival guild you were slain, and I used the wraith to revive you as an act of mercy… an act that I now begin to regret!”
“I am sorry, Lord Blackstar,” Varyon replied, averting his gaze to the ground to hide his scowl. Seconds later the shadowy void began to fade, and Blackstar’s spiritual projection started to fade into essence. “Do not fail me, Varyon,” he beckoned as the last remains of him dissipated. “Or even the wraith won’t be able to save you…”
In a breath, Varyon was once again alone in the chamber, save for the chill wind and darkbeast corpses littered across the stone. Normally, he would’ve charged out of the cavern without hesitation and chased down his targets with merciless precision, but something had brought him pause, a slight shift he’ noticed in Blackstar’s demeanor.
The shadowy Lord of Spiders had insisted that Varyon finish his mission, but he needed answers first. For there was one thing he was certain of that had the assassin unsettled…
Blackstar had lied.
Chapter 20
The Thunder Adept, Zion Sho
The outskirts of Atherune City, Eon
The light of the worldstar was waning when the Sky Wolves finally returned to Atherune City, the veil licking at their heels. It was quiet in town, save for the Jade guards that continued to patrol the streets. Oddly, they had given the sky wolves more than a bit of attention upon their return, but Remley managed to stave them off with a bit of overbearing charm. Roy, having completely drained both his body and spirit, slipped in and out of consciousness as he rode atop Quinn’s broad shoulders.
When they finally arrived back at their simple home on the city’s edge, Roy was able to fully drift back off into the blackness. He wasn’t even certain how long he was out, but every second that he rested did wonders for his spirit, rejuvenating his void aura with every pulse through to his empty channels. It was as if his body was an empty lake slowly filling with rainwater after months of drought.
Roy was certain that he could’ve slept for days after the battle in icerock dungeon, and he very well may have... that is if that damn nudging hadn’t returned. Slowly, Roy peeled his eyelids open, half expecting to see a cryofox pup sitting on his chest. Instead, he was greeted by a far more beautiful sight.
“Feeling better?” Kimoura asked, her face hovering just inches from Roy’s. Locks of her greenish-blue hair hung down in his face and for the first time he noticed that her nose and cheeks were littered with tiny brown freckles.
“I think,” Roy grunted, giving her a half-hearted smile. He would’ve sat up, but he quickly realized that the woman was sitting on his chest. “I probably could’ve used a bit more sleep though.”
She shrugged, all the while her gaze remained locked on his. She almost looked like she wanted to ask him something. Finally she blurted out, “Roy, have you ever hear of kindred spirits?”
“Actually, yes,” he replied. “Though, in my realm I doubt it’s quite as literal as it is here.”
Kimoura began nervously chewing on the bottom of her lip. “Its just… well, this feeling I’ve had when our spirits meet. Its like…” the woman trailed off as if she was waiting for him to respond.
Roy stared back at her, knowing exactly what she meant but unable to reply. Was it fear that was holding him back? Or feelings of guilt about a marriage long past? He tried to sort his feelings, the lingering silence became awkward and Kimoura quickly moved to her feet. Damnit Roy, you idiot!
“Sorry. We should probably get going anyways,” Kimoura said, errantly sliding a hand down to his waist and making his cheeks instantly go red.
“W-why?” Roy managed to choke out.
“Because,” she replied in an oddly cheery tone. “Leila wants to speak with you.”
Roy stared at her for a long, hard minute trying to decide if he should ignore that request and go back to bed. Then with a roll of his eyes, he rose and headed towards the door.
****
Moments later, Roy joined the others at the center of their small home, Kimoura at his side and his cryofox pup following closely behind. He was actually feeling quite rejuvenated now that he was up, but apparently, that wasn’t just from rest. From what Kimoura had told him, Remley had slipped him a pill-shaped elixir as they exited the dungeon. According to her, it was a pill of regrowth... an item used to not only regenerate one’s spirit aura but to bolster its strength in the process. Roy had to wonder if Remley was secretly wealthy, what with the way he kept throwing these items at him.
As he entered the room, Roy found Quinn, Remley, and Leila having a discussion at the center table. They still looked rough from their recent dungeon dive, though none of them seemed to have any debilitating wounds. More importantly, their spirit auras looked to be burning bright once more. Just how many pills did Remley have?
“Roy Boy! Finally awake I see,” Remley said with a grin as Roy approached. Leila gave him a passive scowl and Quinn gnawed on his reed, muscled forearms crossed over his chest.
“Yeah,” Roy said passively. “Best five minutes of sleep I’ve ever had in my life.”
Remley chuckled, but Leila gave him a sharp glance. “Have a seat,” she said, motioning to an empty chair next to Rem. As Roy sat, the cryofox pup gleefully jumped into his lap, its icy blue eyes staring up at him with innocent joy.
“We need to talk,” Leila continued, and he felt as if her piercing gaze was looking past his flesh and into his very spirit.
“Fine,” Roy replied, throwing in a little snark of his own. As he sat, he felt his baton knock against the wood of his chair. At least that weapon had been returned to him, but what of that sword? A second later he spied the weapon propped up in the corner, its blade wrapped tightly in thick woven cloth and secured with three separate black cords.
His first instinct was to stand up and demand the weapon back, but he quickly tamed his flaring aura and gained control of himself. They were a team after all, and the weapon was supposed to fund them for months. Asking for it now would be a slap in the face t
o everything Remley had done for him... And besides, he could still feel a bit of the sword’s divine power resonating in his body, could see it in the strange blue markings permanently etched into his arm.
Leila’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “What... are you?” she said, eyeing him with a scrupulous gaze.
What kind of question was that? Roy sighed, realizing she wanted answers on his recent acquisition of abilities. He probably owed her an explanation, but why did she always have to be so damn serious and forthcoming?
The room fell silent as Roy and Leila exchanged looks, as he tried to understand exactly what she was asking. “What... am I? I’m a human... or at least as much of one as I can be.”
“That’s not what I mean!” she snapped back. “You appear out of nowhere, you learn abilities that should take months to master with little to no training. You drew in soul essence while you were unconscious. Hell, you even managed to absorb divine energy from a blade without so much as blinking! I need to know... what are you, Roy?”
Roy’s expression tightened as he felt all eyes fall on him. Slowly, he turned his gaze to Remley who gave him a nod of encouragement. Then he looked back at Leila, and after taking a deep breath, he told her everything.
Roy started from the beginning with his last day on earth and the strange eyes that followed him everywhere. He told them of his subsequent death and rebirth, and of his first encounters with the darkbeasts. Then he told them about Zekefreid and he was certain their jaws would fall off.
“You were in the presence of a fifteenth ranked adept?” Quinn interrupted as he sat up in his chair. “That’s Saint level power. Nobody in these territories are that strong. Why, he could’ve had the entire damn city of Artherune bowing at his feet.”
Roy just shrugged. After all, he really hadn’t known the difference when it happened, other than the man was strong enough to save his life. After a few moments of debate, the void adept continued his tale, explaining everything that happened up to the point when they entered the dungeon. At Leila’s request, he went into particular detail about his spirit scan and the obvious advantages that it brought.
Leila grimaced. “Why in the hell did the gods smile on an unwitting bastard like you? If I had that spirit scan of yours then I’d be rivaling the power of the sacred seven, not fighting for scraps with the rest of us.”
Roy narrowed his eyes at her as Remley stifled a laugh. He began to open his mouth but before he could rebuke her claim, Kimoura stepped in, her light aura flaring. “Ya know, maybe you're wrong about him. Maybe someday he will be standing with the gods and you’ll be the one groveling,” she took a deep breath and shook her fists before uttering, “Just because you’re in charge doesn’t mean you have to be such a damn jerk all the time!”
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Kimoura. She had always seemed so bubbly and agreeable that her little outburst came as quite a shock, especially to their fearless leader. In fact, Roy was almost jealous of the look of shock she’d put on Leila’s face. But more importantly... did she really feel that way about him? Now he felt like even more of a fool for botching their moment earlier.
“Perhaps we should all get some rest,” Remley interjected, a tinge of unease in his voice.
“Not yet,” Leila said as her gaze lingered on Kimoura. They stared silently at one another for several seconds before Leila finally snapped her gaze at Roy. “First, I want to see how he works.”
Roy looked to Kimoura, then Remley, then finally back to Leila who now stood with her arms crossed. “Fine,” Roy replied. “But bring the adept’s manuals,” he had a spirit scan that he was itching to use.
*****
Moments later, Roy and the others met in a small clearing just behind their humble abode. Roy and Remley faced each other in meditative positions... legs crossed, palms open and spirit auras flowing evenly through their bodies. Leila and Quinn stood off to the side and quietly observed while Kimoura clutched the cryofox pup to her chest.
Remley spoke first. “Alright Roy boy, first we need to refine that soul essence of yours... well, that and whatever else is churning around in there.”
Roy followed the flame adept’s instructions and began to fall into a state of calmness, pulling soul essence into his spirit. He was utterly surprised by the amount of essence floating around inside him... it was as if he’d slain hundreds of darkbeasts rather than dozens.
“How...” is all he could mutter as his aura began refining the essence into spirit energy. Seconds later, he felt something else inside of his body, a strange icy source of power that seemed to resonate from his arm.
//////////
Divine Essence
Soul essence extracted from a divine being or relic. This essence is far more potent than regular soul essence and can be used to accelerate growth of one’s aura.
//////////
Roy marveled as the divine essence merged with his spirit. His spirit scan must’ve helped him extract it from the relic during its brief use. It swirled inside him, growing his aura from a gentle cloak of black-violet energy to a bright blaze that consumed his entire body.
As his aura settled and the last of the essence was refined, Roy could feel his body undergo a strange, almost metamorphic change. His muscles tightened as his aura passed over them, hardening his body with the strength of stone.
To his amazement, Roy’s senses had sharpened as well... his sight, his hearing, it was all so refined. It felt like he had the vision of a hawk and he was astounded by the sounds his ears were picking up from hundreds of paces away.
Finally, after several seconds of meditation, Roy felt his spirit aura settle back into its natural form. Although it still covered his body like a cloak, he could feel a noticeable difference. His spirit was stronger, more responsive, and his reserves of spirit energy had seemed to have doubled. It was as if his aura itself had been reforged.
“Welcome to rank 2, my friend,” Remley said with a genuine grin, his own flame aura swirling around him in brilliant shades of orange and red.
“But... how?” Roy uttered again, completely confused by what had happened. From what he’d learned, he needed the equivalent of nearly a hundred lesser soul essence to push himself to the next rank... and he sure as hell hadn’t acquired that. Was divine essence really that powerful?
Remley chuckled. “I told you that you were unique... While the rest of us were cleaning up that mess with the assassin, your body absorbed the soul essence of the ice drake... likely with the help of that spirit scan of yours. Not only that, but it was a greater soul essence, an essence far more potent than the ones you’d refined before. That, along with the bit of divine essence you drained from the blade seemed to have been enough to push you to over the edge. Congratulations!”
Roy marveled at the newfound power he felt in both his body and spirit. It was as if he was once a dull blade now sharpened and reforged. As he began to rise his spirit scan came to life.
/////////
Adept rank 2 achieved
Physical strength has increased
Spirit aura has increased
Compiling data....
Compiling...
A new technique is available in the void manual. Would you like to upload?
/////////
Roy paused for a second, considering. Then speaking aloud, he asked “Is there a way for the others to see this too?” his spirit scan immediately reacted.
//////////
Activating visual component
//////////
Suddenly, Roy’s eyes gleamed with a black-violet glow as his spirit scan projected itself in the space in front of him. The others gasped as a large, glowing representation of the void manual appeared in front of Roy, its cover embedded with a glowing, violet gem.
“By Bahamut’s breath...” Leila muttered, her eyes transfixed to the spectacle.
Roy glanced her way then looked back at the manual and uttered “I’m ready. Upload.”
T
he floating void manual began to flip open as information streamed directly into Roy’s brain, represented by a translucent wave of light. His body seized up as the data filtered into his body and spirit, and for a second Kimoura was ready to rush in... but then it was over.
Roy fell to a knee as the void manual dissipated into essence and absorbed back into his body. A screen then appeared in front of him.
//////////
Data uploaded
New Vanguard skill acquired:
Void Pulse
The vanguard creates a sphere of void energy that detonates on impact, pulling all nearby objects into its field with violent force.
//////////
“Did... did you just learn that?” Leila asked, completely dumbfounded.
Roy grinned. “Your damn right I did. Don’t know if I like that name though,” the screen faded as another appeared.
//////////
Configuring data....
Configuring....
Vanguard skill: Void Pulse changed to Void Grenade.
//////////
“That’s better,” Roy said, pleased with himself.
Leila rushed up to him and grabbed ahold of either shoulder. “Do you have any idea what kind of power you possess? The potential that you have? I thought it was too good to be true but...”
Roy’s grin grew wider as he studied Leila’s shocked expression. “I mean, maybe we could do a few more tests...”
Leila’s head snapped to the right as her gaze settled on Remley. “Get the manuals.”
That’s just Roy wanted to hear.
****
Hours later, Roy sat in a meditative position, sweat dripping from his brow and an ache in his spirit. Near his feet sat a stack of three adept’s manuals, one that Remley had produced and two that Roy had recovered in the dungeon.
Edge of Eons: A Cultivation Novel (The Adept Archives: Book 1) Page 18
