"You lost me two competent people… Again."
The voice was deep, accusatory, and cruel, echoing in Killieth's mind, who was now standing in No-Space. Behind him, the tear was visible, connecting the otherworldly Sea of Souls to Meriath, and right at this moment, hundreds of spirits were passing through it at every hour as the Soulbound Sect began its descent in earnest. This connection had another effect that Killieth and probably everyone else besides the Sect Master was unaware of. It was synchronizing the passing of time between the two states of existence.
"I accomplished the goal in a way none of my peers could imagine. I not only created an opening for us that is stable and shields our people, but I also eliminated multiple problems! One, being my own greedy little sister! The other… the young prodigy of the Amarins, the descendant of Erias!"
"Really now… you eliminated her… did you eat her soul?"
"Of course not! All souls were channeled towards you, Sect Master!"
"No, they weren't. I'm not stupid; I know you hurried here and gorged yourself to the limit… but I admit, you are less greedy than your dead sister. I appreciate talent when it is paired with guts and brain… Number One!"
"Sect Master!" Killieth couldn't help but gasp, and it was an honest and genuine reaction. The way he called him suggested that Killieth was now replacing Che as the number one disciple under the Sect Master.
"I won't make it public yet! Let me see how you perform in this Harvest first! But if you keep it up, Che will be replaced. He failed multiple times in the past… I no longer favor him. He became a bootlicker without motivation! You still have to drive. I prefer it over what he became."
"I am honored, Sect Master!"
"You still made mistakes. The young soul you are speaking of is gone. I didn't get it, and Erias made a move. My guess is that he fished her out… No matter! I already sent Che and two others to find him; the rest are on their way to Meriath. You will lead them and continue sending souls my way! Do that, and you will be further rewarded. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sect Master!"
"Good. I don't care how many of you remain, but make it happen! When I return, my strength will be of the 2nd Cosmic Tribulation! Those Immortals are as good as dead!"
…
….
……
"I feel much better…" Lia murmured, opening her eyes, floating in a lotus position, realizing she was upside down… or was Erias standing on the ceiling? Was there even a ceiling? She couldn't tell where was up or down as everything was made out of golden clouds, and she lost all senses of direction or time.
"You look better, too!" He smiled, wearing a long, white robe loosely tied up while his bare feet gently pushed into the cotton-like clouds under it. He looked completely normal as if made out of flesh and blood.
"At least I am no longer nude…" Lia added with a chuckle, standing up, wearing a similar, draped garment formed from her mind alone. It looked solid, but her body was still considerably transparent under it, like a murky ghost existing between the living and the dead.
"You are still on the road to recovery. You lost a lot of power and were close to being destroyed. Luckily for us, I sniffed you out quickly! I knew something bad had happened when I felt the disturbance. I expected your mother to appear, not you… but oh well!"
"You know about her?"
"I know a lot, thanks to Somia."
"Where is she? I need to send a message back to the others not to worry about me!"
"I don't know." Erias shrugged, opening his arms. "I had to run and hide when I grabbed your soul. We are in the nucleus of our Realm! This is a place where not even their Sect Master can intrude with his mind this deep! He would have to come in person, which he won't do. We are well hidden here!"
"I… don't really get it…"
"Me neither." He laughed as if it was something hilarious, "I just know that this place is the point from where our world was born! It is primordial and part of something called the Cosmos. Everything came from here, that is why the energy here is… pure."
"Then… isn't this something they would occupy?"
"Good thinking! They can't. They used it to create their own space; thus, this one is repelling them. Don't ask me why! I am clueless, and my hypothesis is to take too much, and it will get angry! I also learned how to let it wash through me and reinforce me and some other neat tricks! It is magical!"
"It is…" Lia nodded as he taught her how to do it the moment she regained consciousness. It was what slowly nurtured her back to a state where she could move around without help.
"We have a lot to do, my little descendant! I first will have to feed you… Get you back to strength!"
"How? Absorbing the energy here?"
"Err, no, I advise you not to. It is hazardous. I tried it, and it almost killed me! A sip, and you get bloated like the woman you fought! If you go kaboom, I won't be able to get you back a second time!"
"Ugh… noted! I won't try it!"
"Hehehe, good~! My method will be different! I'm going to go fish, get some nice souls, and feed them to you!"
"Huh?" Lia couldn't help but flinch and grimace after hearing him.
"Worry not; they will be Soulbound fuckers! This method has its extra benefits! You will learn about their methods and consume some of their memories! It is easier than me telling you about them!"
“This sounds… extra nasty…”
"Don't tell me you are sympathetic towards them?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, and the moment he did so, Lia's face changed.
"No. You are right." She nodded with a heavy look, "We have to get rid of them. All of them."
"Exactly~! Most of my information comes from their souls anyway… that is how I worked out everything since coming here… Which I have been doing… oh boy, for a long time!"
"More than 4000 years…"
"So I heard." Erais chuckled, shaking his head. "We will see how much time has gone by since your death when I can get ahold of Somia again. You know, sometimes I only miss speaking with her for a day or two, then she tells me that 10 years have passed. As I said… this place is fucky-wucky!"
"How long have you been here? For you, I mean…"
"Mmmh…" He fell silent, crossing his arms while slowly rotating in mid-air… or was it she who was spinning? She couldn't tell, but it was disorienting her so much she felt sick. "If I have to guess, for me, it has been around 400? 500 years? Something like that! I am sure it wasn't a thousand!"
"I am worried about it… I fear my Mom or my friends doing something stupid!"
"They shouldn't. Loss is part of life, and I left behind enough teachings to prepare everyone for it! I was really depressed for a long time, unable to come to terms with it. It destroyed my personal life right until the last few years. It was when I reached an epiphany and also decided to embrace death and pass through the Sea of Souls and come here! Although… when that much time passes, many teachings can be lost and go to shit, misinterpreted and distorted. I am satisfied to know that at least some Ascendri did appear! Tell me, how was it? The Realm Gate, I mean! Did you see her?"
"Her?" Lia asked, furrowing her brows, remembering back to the events.
"There is a being outside, the one who hunted down the Soulbound bitches! I had wanted to contact her for so long but failed every time… now when the door was opened, I felt her presence, but… not the second time! I am afraid she is not there anymore. The old bastard started to act, too, confirming my thoughts."
"Erias… I think I'm lost again!"
"Let me tell you what I know and learned from eating these cloud-snorting motherfuckers’ memories!"
"Err…" She wanted to say something, but she was stumped. She never expected that her ancestor had such a foul mouth… he overshadowed even Koa! Or her own mother!
"I'll be brief, relax!" He rolled his eyes, misunderstanding her expression, "The old world was filled with strong fucks. They were haughty, going around, flapping their dicks in everybody's faces. Then, one time, the opposing party slapped it away so hard that it broke off! Getting angy-wangy, they threw a hissyfit and waddled out in their diapers, demanding snuggies!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Please, tell me in a way so I understand it, please!"
"What do you not understand? These crybabies thought they were done wrong and instigated a fucking turf war with their neighbors, who kicked them in the nuts once too many times! They did it so hard that they turned from baritone to soprano! Then they thought, that is it, let's unite and fuck them up! They ganged up on one of their parties for good… they almost managed to kill them, too! Well, that was the worst idea because they did it to someone who had parents who went completely mad after hearing it. They were massacred in droves!"
"Isn't that what happens in war?"
"Well, yes. But wars in the Cosmos? It is fought between people who are minimum stand at our Ascendri level. Or higher! Losing someone like that? It hurts. And they were losing them day after day! Some factions raised the white flag almost instantly!"
"Oh… I spoke with one of these… Golden Claw people!" Lia clapped, her mind recalling the event, and her murky form got a bit more stable once again. "They said that they sent their young out to surrender!"
"They did now?" Erias hummed, crossing his arms and scratching his chin, "Did they tell you that they lost the least amount of people? They always ensured others were on the front lines and not them. When things turned from bad to worse, they escaped first. Or did they mention the fact they had spies in all the major players?"
"No, not really…"
"Of course not! Do you know what those people were? They sent out? Not young talents, but agents! I bet they sent them out to be spies and moles in their enemy's ranks! Blend in, and no matter how long after, when they are activated once more, return to the Golden Claw with all the information they want! Hah! Backstabbing scum!"
"I learned a lot from Arcus." She interjected, stopping Erias from going on another rant.
"Yes! Of course!" He clapped, grinning, "The elements are more important than you think! I am glad you met with him! I will help you recall everything! The more you remember, the more stable your soul gets! I will also help you master them!"
"I already combined Fire, Water, and Air! Although, the latter was not on par with my first two!"
"Don't worry; the fact you already had three is even better!" He laughed, patting her head with a proud glint in his blue eyes.
"While here, I also mulled over it a lot and managed to fuse my four elements: Fire, Water, Darkness, and Light!"
"They told me I was an Evolver," Lia added quickly while listening to his explanation.
"Mhm. I am a Discoverer. The principles behind it are still the same! When you manage to merge all eight elements, something incredible happens!"
"Really? Like what?" She asked at once, regaining her youthful vigor and curiosity, the drive to learn new things, just like when she first arrived at the Academy.
"You create this!" Erias opened his arms, looking around with a sly smile, and when Lia followed his gaze, she suddenly understood. "Yep! Combining all eight creates this… well, let's call it the primordial energy! From where we originate! This energy is what fills the Cosmos on the other end of the Realm Gate! It just gets diluted and broken up like when light hits a prism! Recombine them, and you get their purest form! I started calling it the Cosmic Element!"
"Wait, wait! Arcus told me about this! I remember!" Lia exclaimed, growing increasingly solid and getting fired up, "How far are you from learning and combining all of them!?"
"Very far." He shrugged, finally looking crestfallen, "Not even the old schmucks managed to do something like that, to my knowledge! The furthest they got was maybe… six?"
"Then if I combine another one… do I get as strong as you?"
"You could!" He grinned, happy to hear her ambition being reflected in her voice.
"But we will need to raise your strength too! You died at an early stage. You no longer have the body to increase your strength in the old way, so we will tackle that problem along with feeding your soul!"
"How?"
"Touch me." He stretched his hand out, and when Lia grabbed onto it, Erias was flesh and bones. She could feel a heartbeat when she put a finger on his wrist. "We can recreate a body. We have the means for it, which require souls. Why do you think the Soulbound leader is doing what he does? He is recreating his own flesh and fixing up his injuries in body and spirit! He is using us to heal and power up! The evil bastard!"
"If it can be done so easily… why does he need so many souls?"
"He is at a completely different level. The amount he needs is not something we can measure up to. Don't forget, he has been alive for who knows how long, and he was someone who could travel the outside world unhindered!" Erias shrugged, shaking his head, "I have no confidence in standing up to him, not even in his weakened form. That is why I want to smash this place apart… injure him the best we can and let that thing they fear in! Let them settle their old beef!"
"What if it also… kills us?"
"It is a risk I am willing to take. We either die by their hands, or we roll the dice at survival! What do you say?"
"I was told that I am surprisingly lucky… I even survived death, didn't I?" Lia chuckled, making Erias laugh happily, clapping her on the shoulders.
"That is why you are indeed my descendant!"
"You lost me two competent people… Again."
The voice was deep, accusatory, and cruel, echoing in Killieth's mind, who was now standing in No-Space. Behind him, the tear was visible, connecting the otherworldly Sea of Souls to Meriath, and right at this moment, hundreds of spirits were passing through it at every hour as the Soulbound Sect began its descent in earnest. This connection had another effect that Killieth and probably everyone else besides the Sect Master was unaware of. It was synchronizing the passing of time between the two states of existence.
"I accomplished the goal in a way none of my peers could imagine. I not only created an opening for us that is stable and shields our people, but I also eliminated multiple problems! One, being my own greedy little sister! The other… the young prodigy of the Amarins, the descendant of Erias!"
"Really now… you eliminated her… did you eat her soul?"
"Of course not! All souls were channeled towards you, Sect Master!"
"No, they weren't. I'm not stupid; I know you hurried here and gorged yourself to the limit… but I admit, you are less greedy than your dead sister. I appreciate talent when it is paired with guts and brain… Number One!"
"Sect Master!" Killieth couldn't help but gasp, and it was an honest and genuine reaction. The way he called him suggested that Killieth was now replacing Che as the number one disciple under the Sect Master.
"I won't make it public yet! Let me see how you perform in this Harvest first! But if you keep it up, Che will be replaced. He failed multiple times in the past… I no longer favor him. He became a bootlicker without motivation! You still have to drive. I prefer it over what he became."
"I am honored, Sect Master!"
"You still made mistakes. The young soul you are speaking of is gone. I didn't get it, and Erias made a move. My guess is that he fished her out… No matter! I already sent Che and two others to find him; the rest are on their way to Meriath. You will lead them and continue sending souls my way! Do that, and you will be further rewarded. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sect Master!"
"Good. I don't care how many of you remain, but make it happen! When I return, my strength will be of the 2nd Cosmic Tribulation! Those Immortals are as good as dead!"
…
….
……
"I feel much better…" Lia murmured, opening her eyes, floating in a lotus position, realizing she was upside down… or was Erias standing on the ceiling? Was there even a ceiling? She couldn't tell where was up or down as everything was made out of golden clouds, and she lost all senses of direction or time.
"You look better, too!" He smiled, wearing a long, white robe loosely tied up while his bare feet gently pushed into the cotton-like clouds under it. He looked completely normal as if made out of flesh and blood.
"At least I am no longer nude…" Lia added with a chuckle, standing up, wearing a similar, draped garment formed from her mind alone. It looked solid, but her body was still considerably transparent under it, like a murky ghost existing between the living and the dead.
"You are still on the road to recovery. You lost a lot of power and were close to being destroyed. Luckily for us, I sniffed you out quickly! I knew something bad had happened when I felt the disturbance. I expected your mother to appear, not you… but oh well!"
"You know about her?"
"I know a lot, thanks to Somia."
"Where is she? I need to send a message back to the others not to worry about me!"
"I don't know." Erias shrugged, opening his arms. "I had to run and hide when I grabbed your soul. We are in the nucleus of our Realm! This is a place where not even their Sect Master can intrude with his mind this deep! He would have to come in person, which he won't do. We are well hidden here!"
"I… don't really get it…"
"Me neither." He laughed as if it was something hilarious, "I just know that this place is the point from where our world was born! It is primordial and part of something called the Cosmos. Everything came from here, that is why the energy here is… pure."
"Then… isn't this something they would occupy?"
"Good thinking! They can't. They used it to create their own space; thus, this one is repelling them. Don't ask me why! I am clueless, and my hypothesis is to take too much, and it will get angry! I also learned how to let it wash through me and reinforce me and some other neat tricks! It is magical!"
"It is…" Lia nodded as he taught her how to do it the moment she regained consciousness. It was what slowly nurtured her back to a state where she could move around without help.
"We have a lot to do, my little descendant! I first will have to feed you… Get you back to strength!"
"How? Absorbing the energy here?"
"Err, no, I advise you not to. It is hazardous. I tried it, and it almost killed me! A sip, and you get bloated like the woman you fought! If you go kaboom, I won't be able to get you back a second time!"
"Ugh… noted! I won't try it!"
"Hehehe, good~! My method will be different! I'm going to go fish, get some nice souls, and feed them to you!"
"Huh?" Lia couldn't help but flinch and grimace after hearing him.
"Worry not; they will be Soulbound fuckers! This method has its extra benefits! You will learn about their methods and consume some of their memories! It is easier than me telling you about them!"
“This sounds… extra nasty…”
"Don't tell me you are sympathetic towards them?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, and the moment he did so, Lia's face changed.
"No. You are right." She nodded with a heavy look, "We have to get rid of them. All of them."
"Exactly~! Most of my information comes from their souls anyway… that is how I worked out everything since coming here… Which I have been doing… oh boy, for a long time!"
"More than 4000 years…"
"So I heard." Erais chuckled, shaking his head. "We will see how much time has gone by since your death when I can get ahold of Somia again. You know, sometimes I only miss speaking with her for a day or two, then she tells me that 10 years have passed. As I said… this place is fucky-wucky!"
"How long have you been here? For you, I mean…"
"Mmmh…" He fell silent, crossing his arms while slowly rotating in mid-air… or was it she who was spinning? She couldn't tell, but it was disorienting her so much she felt sick. "If I have to guess, for me, it has been around 400? 500 years? Something like that! I am sure it wasn't a thousand!"
"I am worried about it… I fear my Mom or my friends doing something stupid!"
"They shouldn't. Loss is part of life, and I left behind enough teachings to prepare everyone for it! I was really depressed for a long time, unable to come to terms with it. It destroyed my personal life right until the last few years. It was when I reached an epiphany and also decided to embrace death and pass through the Sea of Souls and come here! Although… when that much time passes, many teachings can be lost and go to shit, misinterpreted and distorted. I am satisfied to know that at least some Ascendri did appear! Tell me, how was it? The Realm Gate, I mean! Did you see her?"
"Her?" Lia asked, furrowing her brows, remembering back to the events.
"There is a being outside, the one who hunted down the Soulbound bitches! I had wanted to contact her for so long but failed every time… now when the door was opened, I felt her presence, but… not the second time! I am afraid she is not there anymore. The old bastard started to act, too, confirming my thoughts."
"Erias… I think I'm lost again!"
"Let me tell you what I know and learned from eating these cloud-snorting motherfuckers’ memories!"
"Err…" She wanted to say something, but she was stumped. She never expected that her ancestor had such a foul mouth… he overshadowed even Koa! Or her own mother!
"I'll be brief, relax!" He rolled his eyes, misunderstanding her expression, "The old world was filled with strong fucks. They were haughty, going around, flapping their dicks in everybody's faces. Then, one time, the opposing party slapped it away so hard that it broke off! Getting angy-wangy, they threw a hissyfit and waddled out in their diapers, demanding snuggies!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Please, tell me in a way so I understand it, please!"
"What do you not understand? These crybabies thought they were done wrong and instigated a fucking turf war with their neighbors, who kicked them in the nuts once too many times! They did it so hard that they turned from baritone to soprano! Then they thought, that is it, let's unite and fuck them up! They ganged up on one of their parties for good… they almost managed to kill them, too! Well, that was the worst idea because they did it to someone who had parents who went completely mad after hearing it. They were massacred in droves!"
"Isn't that what happens in war?"
"Well, yes. But wars in the Cosmos? It is fought between people who are minimum stand at our Ascendri level. Or higher! Losing someone like that? It hurts. And they were losing them day after day! Some factions raised the white flag almost instantly!"
"Oh… I spoke with one of these… Golden Claw people!" Lia clapped, her mind recalling the event, and her murky form got a bit more stable once again. "They said that they sent their young out to surrender!"
"They did now?" Erias hummed, crossing his arms and scratching his chin, "Did they tell you that they lost the least amount of people? They always ensured others were on the front lines and not them. When things turned from bad to worse, they escaped first. Or did they mention the fact they had spies in all the major players?"
"No, not really…"
"Of course not! Do you know what those people were? They sent out? Not young talents, but agents! I bet they sent them out to be spies and moles in their enemy's ranks! Blend in, and no matter how long after, when they are activated once more, return to the Golden Claw with all the information they want! Hah! Backstabbing scum!"
"I learned a lot from Arcus." She interjected, stopping Erias from going on another rant.
"Yes! Of course!" He clapped, grinning, "The elements are more important than you think! I am glad you met with him! I will help you recall everything! The more you remember, the more stable your soul gets! I will also help you master them!"
"I already combined Fire, Water, and Air! Although, the latter was not on par with my first two!"
"Don't worry; the fact you already had three is even better!" He laughed, patting her head with a proud glint in his blue eyes.
"While here, I also mulled over it a lot and managed to fuse my four elements: Fire, Water, Darkness, and Light!"
"They told me I was an Evolver," Lia added quickly while listening to his explanation.
"Mhm. I am a Discoverer. The principles behind it are still the same! When you manage to merge all eight elements, something incredible happens!"
"Really? Like what?" She asked at once, regaining her youthful vigor and curiosity, the drive to learn new things, just like when she first arrived at the Academy.
"You create this!" Erias opened his arms, looking around with a sly smile, and when Lia followed his gaze, she suddenly understood. "Yep! Combining all eight creates this… well, let's call it the primordial energy! From where we originate! This energy is what fills the Cosmos on the other end of the Realm Gate! It just gets diluted and broken up like when light hits a prism! Recombine them, and you get their purest form! I started calling it the Cosmic Element!"
"Wait, wait! Arcus told me about this! I remember!" Lia exclaimed, growing increasingly solid and getting fired up, "How far are you from learning and combining all of them!?"
"Very far." He shrugged, finally looking crestfallen, "Not even the old schmucks managed to do something like that, to my knowledge! The furthest they got was maybe… six?"
"Then if I combine another one… do I get as strong as you?"
"You could!" He grinned, happy to hear her ambition being reflected in her voice.
"But we will need to raise your strength too! You died at an early stage. You no longer have the body to increase your strength in the old way, so we will tackle that problem along with feeding your soul!"
"How?"
"Touch me." He stretched his hand out, and when Lia grabbed onto it, Erias was flesh and bones. She could feel a heartbeat when she put a finger on his wrist. "We can recreate a body. We have the means for it, which require souls. Why do you think the Soulbound leader is doing what he does? He is recreating his own flesh and fixing up his injuries in body and spirit! He is using us to heal and power up! The evil bastard!"
"If it can be done so easily… why does he need so many souls?"
"He is at a completely different level. The amount he needs is not something we can measure up to. Don't forget, he has been alive for who knows how long, and he was someone who could travel the outside world unhindered!" Erias shrugged, shaking his head, "I have no confidence in standing up to him, not even in his weakened form. That is why I want to smash this place apart… injure him the best we can and let that thing they fear in! Let them settle their old beef!"
"What if it also… kills us?"
"It is a risk I am willing to take. We either die by their hands, or we roll the dice at survival! What do you say?"
"I was told that I am surprisingly lucky… I even survived death, didn't I?" Lia chuckled, making Erias laugh happily, clapping her on the shoulders.
"That is why you are indeed my descendant!"
