The Grey Ghost: Book Two of the Archaic Ring Series

by Reed R. Stevens

He remembered all those hours spent practicing on the ice, and was reassured. Whatever he did in life, be it sports, academics, and now martial arts and cultivation, he could only succeed with a strong resolution and long hours of dedicated practice. As Uncle Grey had said, he just needed to be patient.

  Later on that day, he and Nyla were enjoying a staple meal of roasted fox meat as they discussed each other’s training. As usual, they sat within the fountain.

  “I can’t believe you’re about to make another minor breakthrough,” said Nolan. “It’s not even been ten days since you reached the fifth level. Isn’t this speed a little too fast?”

  Nyla shrugged. “With the Profound Soul-splitting Technique, it’s not too farfetched. Not while we’re here, anyway.”

  “Must be nice.”

  “Quit whining. My cultivation is four levels above yours, yet you could easily overpower me. If anyone should be jealous—”

  “Alright, alright. I get it, I’m being a brat.” Nolan glanced at his arm and then cast his gaze upward. “Uncle Grey, when will these symbols disappear? It’s been over a week and they’re still there.”

  The old ghost was lazing about in the air just above the fountain. He peeled open one of his silvery eyes with a tired look on his face. “It will disappear, eventually.”

  “Eventually like tomorrow, or…?”

  Seeing that his teacher was ignoring him, Nolan said, “Speaking of eventually, how long do you think before the Millennial Ring gives us the boot?”

  “It’s almost been a year, hasn’t it?” Uncle Grey yawned. “At this point, it could be any day now.”

  “I figured.”

  A brief silence overtook the group, made all the more prevalent by the world’s complete lack of sound. Their secluded lifestyle was destined to come to an end. And Uncle Grey? Several years should have passed by the time they returned to the glade, at least on his end. To Nolan and Nyla, they would only be apart for a little over a month.

  He’s a frustrating old guy, but he’s not too bad. I hope the solitude doesn’t get to him.

  Nolan had grown accustomed to his current lifestyle and was reluctant to return to Venara. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could continue to cultivate within this peaceful glade, away from the worries and dangers of the world he’d left behind? There was a certain exhilaration that came with slowly becoming stronger, a euphoric rush that was one of a kind.

  After finishing off her meal, Nyla stood up and began gathering the spirit stones from the bottom of the fountain.

  In response to Nolan’s quizzical stare, she gave him a beautiful smile. “We don’t know the exact moment when we’ll be forced to leave. It would be a shame to leave these behind, don’t you think?”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing lately, it’s just…”

  Reading his eyes, she said, “They’ve reached the limit of how much energy they can absorb. It doesn’t matter if we take them out.”

  Uncle Grey snapped to attention with a prideful smile. “I’m impressed that you’ve noticed. What a wonderful disciple I’ve been blessed with.”

  Although Nolan could tell that the Origin Energy within the stones was about four times as potent as it had been in the past, he had no way of judging what level the spiritual energy might have reached, since such detections were beyond his perception.

  Nyla waved off her teacher’s praise. “I can only sense small amounts of spiritual energy, it’s nothing significant.”

  Uncle Grey smiled and then returned to his standard floating position, a laidback recline, head pillowed by his hands.

  “What does it feel like?” Nolan asked her. “Being aware of spiritual energy. Is it similar to Origin Energy?”

  “It is, but it isn’t. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “I guess I’ll have to wait and see, huh?”

  Once all the spirit stones had been collected, Nolan summoned eight large bottles from his primary spatial bag, each of them identical to the big container of wine that he and Nyla had helped themselves to just before they’d first met Uncle Grey.

  Aside from what he’d sampled all those months ago, there had been eleven other bottles full of that extraordinary wine, along with eight huge empties. Just a few glasses of that amazing stuff had given Nolan a fairly strong buzz despite how impressively resistant his liver had become. Eight bottles was well over two dozen litres, which made one wonder how often the deceased Dartan had partaken.

  Since the bottles were just taking up room within his spatial bags, Nolan decided to leave them within the Divine Spirit Fountain. If he moved quickly then he might be able to collect a few of them after detecting activity from the Millennial Ring. The fountain water boasted exaggerated healing effects and also contained both spiritual energy and Origin Energy of the highest purity. Even if he didn’t have to rely on it to heal himself, he could always sell it. Considering its restorative properties, he couldn’t imagine that it would be difficult to get rid of it.

  Ultimately, the source of power that lingered in the fountain’s waters originated from the Divine Spirit Fountain itself. Any water that was removed would be cut off from its power source and the energy within would slowly fade away. According to Uncle Grey, it would take less than a month for it to become ordinary water. By leaving the bottles within the fountain, the water within them would be able to retain its wondrous effects for several weeks.

  While Nolan was in a preparatory mindset, he made a short trip outside of the courtyard and harvested the rest of the demonic fox’s teeth, and also retrieved both of the mantis’s gleaming, scythe-like arms. If he were to encounter a powerful enemy, the only weapon in his possession that could bear the force of such a high-end confrontation was the jagged dagger that he’d indirectly obtained due to the disgusting actions of the city lord’s late son.

  Nolan preferred a sword to a dagger, as he didn’t like getting too close to an enemy during a fight. With poison from the Heartrending Lillies, so long as he maintained a safe distance from his opponent then it would only take a single scratch from his weapon to deal some serious, if not fatal damage. He planned to see if these materials could be made into weaponry. If not then he’d sell them for a nice pile of golden cards, as he was well aware of their value after visiting all sorts of shops in Greenwall.

  We might have to head to another city after we get back. Who knows what’s waiting for us at that forest?

  He also carved into the beast carcasses and removed their demonic cores. According to Uncle Grey, they could be used as ingredients for concocting medicinal pellets. He would keep an eye out for other cores once he returned to Venara, for he hoped to be capable of putting them to use in the near future.

  Lastly, Nolan cut out two steaks of fox meat and began walking back to the stone courtyard. Though he couldn’t see her, he was aware that Nyla had left the fountain and retreated to the opposite end of the glade. He could sense her dashing around at impressive speeds, much faster than a person should have been able to move. A small grin visited his face as he acknowledged the progress she’d made with her movement skill, even if it was supposedly ‘low grade.’

  Now, if only I could get mine down…

  While Nyla was off training, he walked over to the perpetually burning fire and spitted the meat on a jagged stick, and then absentmindedly roasted it while condensing the many rivers of inner essence that coursed throughout his body. Might as well practice if he was going to slack off.

  His inner essence channels were nearly overflowing with the brilliant golden energy that his dantian constantly discharged. By compacting it, he steadied the robust flow while making room for more runoff, which would then be condensed as well. He’d repeat the process until most of the energy within his body was incomparably thick, at which point he would focus on coating his skin with several fine layers of inner essence. Messing around in such a manner is how expert cultivators invented new martial skills and cultivation methods.

  Now that he’d reached the Pr
ofound Entry stage, inner essence control was as important as ever. After countless hours of dedicated practice, the condensing process had become a subconscious form of training for Nolan. The better his control over the abundant supply of energy within him, the less he’d have to expend with each exertion. This would allow him to allocate his inner essence in a more useful manner, a sure way to conserve his energy.

  Half of an hour later, Nyla was still dashing around the field like a leopard, agile in her every movement. Her current speed was a bit faster than his maximum speed, though she was relied on a movement skill to become so agile. Although he could only activate the Tranquil Void Step for seven or eight seconds, for that short time he was much faster than she was, even when she relied on her movement skill.

  Hmm?

  Nolan reduced the reach of his spiritual sense to three metres so he could put more focus on his immediate surroundings. Bending down to stare at the ever-burning fire, he noticed that miniscule tufts of Origin Energy were being eaten up by the flames in place of the partially burnt wood. These particles of energy were extremely tiny and difficult to notice, but he was close enough to the fire for his delicate spiritual sense to pick up on the minute activity that mixed in with the flames.

  The Origin Energy is acting as fuel? That’s why the wood isn’t burning? He was struck by a sudden train of thought. If such a small amount of Origin Energy could keep the fire alive, then what sort of effect would take place if a greater amount of energy were fed to the flames? Would inner essence produce similar results?

  Nolan projected an experimental blanket of inner essence over the silent fire, and it shuddered as if brushed by a passing breeze. It moved!

  He suddenly remembered a lecture that Uncle Grey had given him a short while ago. When it came to arrayments and martial skills, apparently there were all sorts of techniques that conjured or manipulated the elements. Abiotic, biotic, animate, inanimate—Uncle Grey had said that everything in existence was made up of Origin Energy, as the name denoted. To alter this energy was to change reality itself, which meant going against the natural laws of the universe. But to what end? When asked this question, the old ghost had let out a strange laugh. The purpose of manipulating Origin Energy? For cultivation! The purpose of cultivation? Longevity!

  Nolan smiled to himself as he continued roasting the fox meat, the old ghost’s words still in his mind.

  He had been quite astonished to learn that he would live to be well over a hundred so long as he wasn’t killed. It seemed that every time a person made a major breakthrough in their cultivation, their lifespan would increase by a significant amount. Aside from a thirst for power, the main reason why most people were willing to spend the vast majority of their time increasing their cultivation was to extend their lifespans. What’s more, apparently he would maintain the appearance of a young man well into his forties.

  Ignorant as he may be, Nolan had his own opinions. He suspected that Origin Energy might be an anomalous element of sorts that didn’t exist on Earth. Just as the people of Earth required nitrogen and oxygen to live, the people of Venara had an evolutionary relationship with this ‘element,’ which seemed to be the case with spiritual energy as well.

  Although Nolan was tempted to continue experimenting with the flames, there was a very low chance that his curiosities would yield any immediate benefits. He couldn’t afford any distractions, for time was of the essence. He made a mental note to remember this recent discovery so that he could revisit it at another time.

  The meat finished roasting around the time that Nyla returned to the courtyard, followed closely by a grinning Uncle Grey. He was complimenting her knack for understanding martial skills, while tactfully making slight suggestions on form and execution.

  She greeted Nolan with a smile, and with an eager excitement began to describe the exhilaration she felt when using her movement skill, and how fun it was to practice it. Uncle Grey affirmed her progress with an excess of flattery, which was a bit irritating as he rarely complimented Nolan.

  After dinner, the two of them sat within the fountain and continued with their training, as Uncle Grey hovered above them in his usual way.

  

  By the time Nolan sensed a reaction from the Millennial Ring, a little over thirteen months had passed since he and Nyla had first entered the glade. It happened in the middle of dinner, just as he was reaching out to grab another piece of roasted fox meat from a platter beside the campfire. With such a keen spiritual sense, he had no problem identifying the sudden influx of colourless energy that seeped out of the ring and latched onto his dantian.

  He tossed the meat back onto the tray, abandoning his studious observations. “Nyla—the ring!”

  Sensing the sudden urgency in his tone, she stopped chatting with Uncle Grey and immediately reached out to grab hold of his left hand.

  “Aren’t the two of you forgetting something?” asked Uncle Grey, unable to conceal the mask of melancholy that now covered his face.

  “Hurry, to the fountain!” A soothing trickle of white energy began to seep out from the old stone ring, pervading throughout Nolan’s body, calming his sudden panic. In a split second, he and Nyla had dashed over to the fountain and were already jamming corks into the large wine bottles that they’d left within the waters.

  “Take care, Master!” A bitter smile on her youthful face, Nyla gave a slight yet heartfelt bow of respect to Uncle Grey, who’d silently followed them like a shy breeze from where they’d been eating by the small cook fire.

  “See you later, old man! You better have a ton of great lessons planned for us when we get back!” Seeing his saddened look, Nolan said, “And take care of yourself. I’m looking forward to all the things you still have to teach me.”

  Luckily, they managed to gather all of the bottles and store them away within their spatial bags in time before a strong sense of inertia made the both of them stagger. Sensing the mysterious ring at work, Nyla hugged Nolan and desperately clung to him, clearly worried that she might be left behind in the lonely glade.

  As Nolan’s vision began to swim, the last thing that he saw was the partially transparent silhouette of his teacher, who stood just a few paces away from the Divine Spirit Fountain. The old man wore an odd look of guilt as he flicked his hand and sent a small scarlet bead flying out from his sleeve. The drop of blood splashed against Nolan’s left arm, eliciting a pale grey glow from the black symbols that had yet to disappear.

  His vision darkened before he could make any sense of the perturbing development.

  Chapter Twenty-seven: Troubled Times

  A few leagues east of the city of Greenwall, in a sizeable patch of deciduous forest, the Origin Energy within a span of several dozen paces suddenly began to fluctuate at an odd frequency. Fleeing from their nests within the nearby trees, dozens of birds took to the sky in a frantic rush of fluttering wings and alarmed chirps. The air beneath a large oak tree began to bend as if distorted by the heat of a raging inferno, before two people seemingly materialized out of nothingness and then plopped down onto the ground with simultaneous thuds.

  Nauseous from vertigo and head ringing, Nolan peeled his eyes open to discover that he and Nyla were still embracing. Her skin was very soft and she smelled quite nice, but he didn’t allow himself to enjoy the pleasant contact. They had to make sure that they were the only ones in this forest.

  He wriggled free of her grasp and pushed himself onto his feet, glancing around with a guarded look. It took him a minute to gather his wits about him, during which time Nyla woke up and sat in place for a handful of heavy breaths.

  Nolan crinkled his nose. “God, what’s that smell?”

  “I feel like they would have taken any fallen soldiers back to the city. This is probably…”

  The summer air was warm enough to cause discomfort to a normal person, not to mention that it was rank with a deathly stench that lingered on this windless day. It seemed that nobody cared to bury the corpses of cr
iminals.

  They had returned to the exact spot where they’d been standing at the moment when the Millennial Ring transported them to Nia. It was somewhere around midday, though he couldn’t be sure about how much time had passed since they’d left.

  The first time I was gone for less than a week, and I was there for just over six months. At the very least, a week should have passed.

  His mind finally stopped ringing and he expanded his spiritual sense to its limit. After he confirmed that they were the only people in the vicinity, he sat in shocked silence for several moments. Just now he’d been able to sense a farmhouse that was over a kilometre away.

  Not a minute after he made his shocking discovery, Nyla let out a gasp of surprise and immediately flew to her feet. “Nolan, expand your spiritual sense!”

  “I know,” he said. “You too?”

  She nodded. “I can sense over a thousand paces all directions, easily.”

  “Damn, that’s about my limit.”

  “This is incredible. If my father knew that I’d one day reach such a realm…”

  “I bet he’d be a proud man.”

  Nyla gave him a light smile, and then bowed her head in remembrance. “Ah, my arrayment symbol disappeared.”

  “What the fuck, man. Mine’s still there!” Nolan’s mind was still in slight disarray, but as soon as he glanced down at the tattoo-like symbol that decorated his left forearm, his teeth began to gnash together.

  Nyla peered at the marking. “Why’s it red?”

  “Hold up, that old bastard shot something into my arm just before we were kicked out of the glade.” He felt around his arm and then scanned the inside of his body, but his search yielded no results. “What the hell did he do to me?”

  “That…”

  “Goddamn it. Just when I was starting to trust him, he had to go ahead and do some sketchy shit.”

  “Do you feel any different?”

  “No, but he definitely did something. He’s an Arrayment Master, right? It shouldn’t be too hard to conceal whatever weasel shit he just did.”