Zac's left shoulder blade promptly exploded, unleashing a storm of opalescent Creation unsuccessfully caged by his Evolutionary Path. One moment, the deluge resembled a leafy branch. The next, a sharp-edged wing wrought from unfettered possibility. The sudden eruption almost blew his arm off, and he felt like a jet engine had been fastened to his back. Unwilling to give in, Zac gritted his teeth and swung his axe through willpower alone.
The counterforce provided direction to the rampaging energy, allowing Zac to direct some of it into his right arm. Zac could feel bone, muscle, and even his Spiritual Avatar morphing under the tidal wave. Thankfully, the familiar nature of the energy kept the mutations at a minimum. Having completed the journey, the torrent of finely woven force poured into [Verun's Bite].
The Tool Spirit yowled with pain as the energy entered the wooden haft, but it willingly accepted the dangerous payload. This was only possible thanks to Verun officially stepping into the path of Life and discarding conflicting elements. Even then, [Verun's Bite] couldn't endure for extended periods, and Zac was not much better off.
Luckily, a moment was all he needed.
A shimmering energy blade appeared, barely reaching beyond Verun's true edge. It was incredibly crude, a mockery of his old skill [Chop]. The blade flickered like a dying flame, utterly incapable of maintaining a solid form. Yet, as his old skill said, there was greatness in simplicity.
The blade was small and chaotic, but Zac could see a glimpse of his lofty aspirations within. Creation was joined by three forms of fuel; Divine, Cosmic, and Void Energy, where Creation was the outsider who broke the deadlock and breathed new possibilities into his path. The Daos of Life and Conflict joined the Void of Death to keep order and give direction.
Zac understood this balance was tenable at best, and the fuel was rapidly leaking out his back. He didn't try to mold the Origin Blade into something greater. Just keeping it together as he finished his swing pushed his Soul and Heart to their limits. There was only one thought in Zac's mind as he gazed upon the incoming web of inescapable death.
'Open!'
The opalescent edge tore into reality and carved open a wound to expose its secrets. Zac felt like a painter, his axe the brush that overturned convention and redrew fate. Not even the Edict of Solitude could withstand Creation's exuberant will, especially not when the Void directed it from the shadows.
Space was cleanly opened like a surgical scar. The opening was no longer than a foot, but it became a loose thread in the fabric of space. Just a small defect, but that was sometimes enough. The perfect isolation was no more. And through that flaw, madness spilled forth.
Dozens of fractures opened through the cage as the breach turned into a full-blown tempest. The cage of solitude had been turned into a microcosm of the storm in outer space. Vast amounts of foreign energy poured into the cage as the dimensional pressure finally found a place to vent.
The web of light only exacerbated the chaos, and the deathsworn's great momentum was turned against them. The avatars turned into deadly faultlines, spawning spatial tears right on top of their controllers. Two immediately died, one from sudden bisection. The other narrowly escaped the same fate, only to have their torso turned into ash by a burst of foreign Dao.
The final Middle-stage Hegemon barely held on, but both Late Hegemons survived the upheaval through quick wits and ruthlessness. Like Zac, they narrowly avoided certain death by accepting gruesome wounds. Not even losing limbs was enough to create a ripple in their eyes. They were still hellbent on completing the mission, turning into streaks of lights moving toward Zac.
The Edict of Solitude flickered precariously, but Zac sensed its mysterious law was still in effect. His attack hadn't destroyed the barrier separating them from the outside world. It had only changed the situation within. It didn't matter. Zac's gambit was never meant to kill all his enemies or break him out. It would just have been a welcome surprise.
His true goal was to create a path to survival, no matter how narrow.
Vines pulled while Zac grabbed a shellshocked Ra'Klid. He jumped, or rather stumbled, into the spatial fracture directly formed by his attack. It was the largest and most stable, and hopefully, their ticket out of here. He could barely believe his plan had worked.
However, a sudden snap made his heart drop. Another spatial tear had opened up, severing Vivi's vine and cutting Emily off. There was no time. Space was nearing utter collapse, and none would survive if they stayed a moment longer.
Their eyes briefly met, and Emily grinned. She leaped into the smaller tear just as Zac passed through his. A shaky voice echoed in his mind, holding a mix of fear and anticipation.
'See you on the other side.'
Then, there was only chaos.
----------------
The connection was severed, and the shock almost exposed Vilari to the clawing grab of her opponent. It wasn't the first time she'd been left without the comforting touch of her father's soul, but it was the first time their connection had been cut off unannounced and so abruptly. It left her empty, exposed, a trembling leaf subject to the winds of fate.
She desperately wanted to follow, to find a clue to what transpired. But her retreat was blocked by the three Hegemons who refused to give in. If anything, they had been emboldened by her shattered momentum, considering her a sheep to the slaughter. Her heart was in turmoil, but she turned despair into fuel for her path.
A desolate smile spread across her face as she looked at the three Kan'Tanu elites. They might be reincarnators from the Chapter of Hallowed Flesh, sporting constitutions capable of isolating their souls. But so long as they could feel, they would never be safe.
"It's a trap!"
Vilari shook her head, but the deprecation was as much directed at herself as her enemies. Struggle as you might, destiny would eventually come calling. She had so desperately wanted to believe in the earnest conviction in her father's eyes that she had ignored the signs. That he would sweep the dark clouds away and make everything right.
Perhaps it was for the best. She'd long known she would eventually have to step out from Zac's shadows and face the winds herself. To drag him into this chapter of unfinished Karma would be selfish.
A distant toll echoed as she undid the seal, and the depths of her heart answered the call. Her bloodline surged, and the [Emancipation Eye] opened. This time, it looked slightly different from normal. The vertical pupil still consumed all thought, but it was joined by a horizontal scar that bled the woes of the world.
Struggle appeared on the face of the three reincarnators, but it was fleeting. One by one, they bowed toward the eye before entering the intersection of her pupils. There was no sorrow or joy, only predestination. Eyes closed and fate was sealed, but Karma would never be severed.
A turbulent wave of impressions flooded Vilari's mind, each a shackle reminding her of the price of her choice. She remained willing, and there was not a ripple in her heart as their last embers of cognizant self became fuel that nourished her soul. The fading light would soon burn out, reduced to pure Mental Energy bereft of the Seven Sensations.
Vilari opened her eyes, and a flash took her to the edge of the spatial collapse. There was no sign of her father or his attackers. It was like the whole battle had been erased from the river of time. Her first instinct was to unleash a wave of destruction to reopen the path. Vilari shook her head, reining in the magnified rage in her heart.
Sometimes, it was worth risking everything in your fight against fate. However, ignoring facts and giving in to the dark whispers in one's heart was only degeneration. Vilari knew she would have to do better than this.
'Sister, what should we do?!'
Vilari took a calming breath before turning to Rhuger. Three moons rotated behind his back, swallowing the lights of the storm above. He was covered in fresh wounds, where one had almost claimed his left eye. Like her, he sensed what happened and fought to break free.
'Is he...?'
'Haven't you learned the way our father operates by now?' Vilari answered with a smile. Even she couldn't tell whether her tranquility was real or feigned. 'The competition for the fortress started over a day ago, so there was never any chance of Dad staying outside for long. He has his destiny to fulfill, and we have ours.
'I know you lack confidence, but you have no reason to. You were chosen by Ultom, proving you're qualified to stay by Dad's side. You might not be our strongest fighter, but you are the greatest general that's come out of Elysium. It is time for you to spread your wings. The Acheron Company will be relying on you until Father returns.'
'Me? What about—'
'Like you, I have a destiny I must face.'
The heavenly dome shattered as the enormous bell broke through. It almost looked like the spatial fractures had come alive as they stormed the heretical treasure. Yet not a single blemish was added to the broken surface, making Vilari absentmindedly wonder what kind of experiences had reduced it to such a sad state.
Space repeatedly collapsed and was forcibly reforged through the weight of the bell's aura. Each round of destruction let the treasure squeeze further into the atmosphere, and its intangible pressure had already caused great upheavals on the ground. The vast tangles of cursed thorns stopped their advance, cowering into a defensive curl.
Vilari soon saw the first streak of spiritual light get pulled to the sky and knew her time was already up.
'Tell Dad… I'll see him soon.'
A spiritual mote burst forth from her glabella like an arrow. Vilari activated [Soulshift] just before it collapsed under the bell's aura, letting her appear halfway up the sky in a single bound. She looked down at the sea of warriors, seeing many familiar faces look up at her. Or rather at the bell looming above her like an evil god.
Demons, humans, Zhix, and a hodgepodge of different races. All from different circumstances, many even separated by the great divider that was Death. However, they shared one commonality that rendered their many differences irrelevant. They had a common root, a place they fought to protect. Home. The Atwood Empire, the creation of her father.
She would do her part.
Another bound, and she found herself directly beneath the bell. She could feel the overwhelming waves of ancient thought burrow into her consciousness, trying to corrupt the feelings she held dear. She gingerly touched the ancient stone and sighed sorrowfully as only turbidity answered her call. Vilari knew her path would break if she stayed any longer, so she unhesitantly took the third step.
The dust of relinquished sensations lining the bell's inside stirred, gathering beneath the rotten rope. It formed a simple gate made from pure emotion. Vilari stepped through, and the pressure was no more. Replacing it was an utter darkness, one not limited to her senses. Even her heart and soul were closed off, leaving her in a state of blankness.
Then, a voice appeared, guiding her back to reality.
"Child, I expected you to struggle longer."
It was impossible to make any deductions of the speaker. Its words were crafted with pure emotion, upending Vilari's understanding. There was not a hint of energy or Dao in the words, but Vilari desperately held onto the core of her being. A simple sentence had almost managed to twist her emotions in an even more grotesque manner than the poor soldiers who sacrificed their hearts with a smile.
This entity was corruption manifest, a subversion of the Dao itself. It didn't need to do anything to attack her path. Its mere existence was poison to anyone climbing the Peak of Impetus. Despite the danger, she had to face this head-on.
"What will come will come," Vilari said. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. She was just a child trapped in the web of an evil entity. Truth be told, its power was a small source of comfort. It could have killed her with a thought, so the fact she was still standing meant there was still a fighting chance. "My seals wouldn't have lasted more than a day, and the longer I waited, the more my heart would corrode."
"True. Some threats are best dealt with alone. Some think themselves clever, hiding in the shadows to deal with their problems after reaching a higher stage. Ignorant that their retreat had already sealed their fate," the entity laughed. "But, child, why are you so sure I'm a threat and not an opportunity?"
"Opportunities rarely force themselves on others."
"I would argue they almost always do. Few can choose their direction in life."
"Are you going to pretend you didn't have an ulterior motive in forcing a connection between us? Then let's not waste any more time," Vilari said as she ignited her soul.
She reached into the darkness, guided by the mark she'd left behind. And there it was, the slumbering thought.
"You wish to use the lingering sentiments trapped in the bell to combat me? Feisty," the voice cackled. "But why do you think they're yours to control? That they're even real and not a way for me to supplant your heart? Do you even know the true nature of those who toiled and tolled, fruitlessly praying for substantiation?"
"Know? No, but I have a feeling," Vilari said as a smile spread across her face. "And I know your goal is not possession. Your existence is evil, taboo, and entering my body won't change that. It'll only expose you to the Heavens, and I doubt you can survive its attention in your current state."
Vilari knew the entity could see right through her intentions, but that was just what she wanted. It would confirm she was ready to shed all pretenses if she wasn't given any way out. Vilari wasn't sure about the details but had clearly felt it before entering the entity's domain.
The bell's true spirit had been tricked or forced into slumber, likely meaning the entity needed it alive. What would happen if the spirit woke up, only to find its body so utterly corrupted? The shock alone might drive it mad, severing the entity's control over the bell. Could a snail really survive without its shell?
"Ah, whatever," the entity said after a brief impasse. "I suppose I should be happy the one I've been waiting for isn't a fool. And the fact you dared enter my domain means you're willing to brave dangers."
The darkness receded, and Vilari found herself sitting in a simple cottage face-to-face with her opponent.
"Still playing games?" Vilari said, a hint of steel in her voice.
"I thought you'd relish a familiar face during this stressful situation," Zac said, his eyes dripping with malignant intention. "And I wouldn't call it games. You should understand that our paths, more so than others, require us to act in tune with our hearts. You say I'm evil, but the only evil is denying your true nature. Or replacing the true nature of others with comforting lies."
Vilari's eyes were like bottomless lakes as she silently looked at the twisted misrepresentation of her father. Of all the things it could have chosen, it had chosen the utterly incorruptible truth in her heart. Eventually, the entity seemed to get bored, and his appearance turned into a hunch-backed old lady dressed in unfamiliar ceremonial robes.
"So what do you want?"
"You wanted me to put the cards on the table, so why play coy with me now?" the kindly old lady countered. "As you implied, I've seen better days, and you have access to something I need."
"Is it inside the main inheritance or an outer court? And what can you give in return?"
"Clever girl," the entity smiled. "What I'm searching for should be in the Mercurial Courts. It was those ephemeral dreamers who most benefitted from Pasho's Songs. If you can call that benefit. Child, can you imagine? A whole race denouncing reality and retreating into a dream. They thought they'd found a shortcut to transcendence, stretching a single slumber into eternity. Do you want to know what I saw when I peeked through the curtain?"
"I want the true version of the method you imparted."
"Who's to say what's true?" the old lady said as she looked out the window. "Those who invented the [Embers of Seven Sensations] couldn't even withstand the changing seasons. They could have saved themselves but chose to wait for something that would never happen."
The old lady turned back, her eyes burning with madness as an impossibly wide grin spread across her face. "Meanwhile, I am still here as we approach the Zenith."
Horror threatened to overwhelm Vilari's mind, yet her lips curved upward. But the feeling passed before she reached a point of no return, and she eventually disarmed the trigger.
"Well, suit yourself. You need more strength to accomplish what I need. But I wonder, will you be able to hold onto the sorrows of old when salvation is waiting around the corner?"
"You believe the thing you seek was hidden somewhere else," Vilari exhaled. "Anima Courts?"
"Karma coming full cycle," the old lady nodded. "Now, it's time for us to leave. Our time is short, and there is much you need to experience."
"Deal with my enemies before you go."
"Are you sure? Every offering will help me recover a fraction of my power," the entity said as the world darkened. "Who knows what might happen if the balance is broken? Will your safeguard still work?"
"I'll risk it."
"Then let's go, my little tyrant," the discarnate soul laughed. "Let's see if there's joy or despair waiting at the end of the road."
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