The initial flight took them to one of the frontier cities were Umara utilized one of the teleporters. From there, Erhan was ready with a helicopter to pick them up in the capital.
That helicopter ride bypassed the Black Spider Hotel and hovered right above the market, specifically where the Polaris Family resided.
When lowered, Umara jumped off and slowed her ascent with air magic, Feiden and Tana dropping next to her right after. Feiden continued to carry John in his arms, a feat only possible for a knight given that John was still in his several hundred pound exosuit, the spirit not willing to release.
Luna was already there waiting for them, face neutral as other guards of the Polaris Family flocked in their direction. They stood down with a signal but still seemed intrigued by what they were seeing.
Luna pointed.
“He’s over there.”
“Mm.”
The three ran with John in tow, arriving at Maxwell’s building. The door was answered quickly when they knocked, Maxwell opening the door with a heavy frown.
It only took one look for him to grasp the situation. John bleeding out from a partially healed wound, Tana standing there with a large hole in her leg, Feiden battered and bruised. Umara was the only one unscathed. John hadn’t sent a single attack toward her that entire fight.
“What in the unholy hells have you done?”
Maxwell groaned, his words rhetorical as he waved them in. Luna was behind them, all of them disappearing behind closed doors.
“Throw him on that table.”
Maxwell pointed to his dinner table, Feiden dropping John on top of it. The exosuit slammed against the reinforced wood, Luna peering over at it.
“So that’s his suit, huh? I can’t imagine what purposes all those components serve…”
“Technology that’s beyond us. Maxwell, he said he needed your help.”
Umara got straight into the issue, but it seems like the man was a step ahead of her. Stupid Summoners.
“No shit he needs my help! Stupid damned child got tangled with the Waters! His brain is a fucking beacon for the demons and gods! Let me guess, he went and communed with one?”
Maxwell eyed her while preparing a formation, her small nod making him curse.
“Damn it all! How long ago?!”
“About half a year ago…”
“Of fucking course! Because why wouldn’t he be stupid enough to go and reach beyond the bounds of this world himself?!”
Maxwell continued to curse while striding to his library, directly drawing out one of the books before snatching a few white crystals from his spatial storage.
He placed them on the table around John before flipping open the book and releasing his Psyka.
Umara’s eyes tingled at the sight of it, a solemn gaze directed at the horribly dense energy. Far more powerful than John’s, she only now realized why John had said Maxwell was more powerful than him.
She figured it was just meant in terms of experience. Both of them knew that Maxwell was a shadow of his former self. They weren’t sure of the details, but even John had talked about how weakened Maxwell was.
With John publicly being the world’s most powerful summoner, they figured even Maxwell couldn’t have been too amazing in his prime. But now, Umara was rejecting the idea.
She didn’t know why Maxwell was in his current situation, but just based on the Psykic prowess he was showing off, the man was on a different realm compared to even John right now.
His tangible tendrils of Psyka slowly formed into an eye watering array that covered John’s body. Unlike normal formations though, this one was active. Even when Maxwell completed it, the runes, connections, and layers shifted with life and intention, morphing over John’s body and forming a cocoon.
As soon as it sealed, an explosion of light and darkness snapped over the formation. Umara recoiled as she saw dark hands and parasitic teeth manifest over the cocoon, tearing away at it, screaming in rage as they burrowed and clawed their way to John’s body.
“Luna, if you can…”
Maxwell asked meekly, earning a glance from the woman before she brought out a glass vial of water.
It was blessed water, Umara realized, and Luna uncapped it before pouring some over the cocoon. Those evil spirits let out their heart rending throes as they were purified, Luna muttering some prayers in another language as they vanished.
Once they were gone, she stowed the bottle and backed away, Maxwell sighing. With a wave, the cocoon faded away.
“Alright, he’s fine for now. He will need time to recover and regain himself, and I will need to personally watch him, especially when that barrier over his head wears off. That can be done at your estate. It will certainly be more comfortable than this tiny place.”
“Alright. I’ll notify the butler.”
“And I’ll pack.”
Maxwell walked off while Umara sent a message to Erhan. She also finished healing John, Feiden, and Tana, sealing their wounds and repairing whatever damage had been done.
Luna decided to tag along as they left. Umara certainly understood why since she had been there when John had been visited by the great beyond.
Another hour later they were landing on the estate’s backyard helipad. Feiden carried John into a guest bedroom prepared in advance for him, now including a host of medical and Psykic devices from Wonderland. Those devices isolated the room with all manner of programmable magic and Auric concealment systems, including some barriers that did the opposite of what the Beacons did.
It blocked communications from every known medium, whether magical or not. John had told Umara about a ‘Faraday Cage’ that he had built into every room in the house that could be activated whenever necessary. Apparently that was on as well, and funnily enough, Umara felt like she could sense the difference.
The room felt like a void, which was perfect for John at the moment.
When he was settled in and Maxwell did one more check, the others left to recover while Umara stayed with the old man in the room.
They were both quiet for a while, Umara sitting beside the bed, Maxwell in his own plush chair at the foot.
“The one that spoke to him half a year ago. Did it have a name?”
He broke the silence with a question that Umara had heard before.
“Luna and Anderson asked the same thing. John never gave one.”
“I figured she knew, and if she knows then Anderson does. You called them for help?”
“Mm. It was the only thing I could think of at the time.”
“Well it was probably the best choice you could’ve made. Now, if you can, explain to me how that stupid boy managed to open his ears to the voices of the entities above.”
Umara sighed and recounted what she knew. She couldn’t give him much information about the technology. It didn’t matter how much John explained it to her, she couldn’t grasp anything outside of the conceptual explanations of it.
But that seemed to be enough for Maxwell, who looked more weary with every sentence she spoke.
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“Of course. I didn’t think he’d go so far. I guess that was my fault for thinking he was ignorant. I had been hoping to keep the topic from him until he was pushing toward Authority Ten.”
“A lot of people seem to think that keeping the details from us will keep us safer for longer, but given everything that’s happened, I wholly disagree. I’m not blaming you, but why couldn’t you just tell him about these things so he could learn how to guard against them? From what I know, he’s had knowledge of these so called Waters and lesser gods the entire time.”
“We don’t say anything because ignorance is the better option. That only holds true up until the point that someone is ready to breach the Great Barrier, but that in itself implies that those below it can’t handle it. I’m sure you’ve heard that entire armies can fall to battles of the mind and spirit. Well, that usually happens when enough people get exposed to things they shouldn’t be. They can’t handle it, they aren’t powerful enough to learn to handle it, and they lose themselves. If not to madness, then to corruption. If stories of such aren’t enough for you, then just look at your husband.”
Umara didn’t need to glance at John to get what he was saying.
The truth was before her. John had only been getting closer to losing himself. He wasn’t ever going to become corrupted, but she had clearly seen the signs of madness. He knew that Maxwell had the solution to his problem, and he fought all of them off in an attempt to avoid being treated. He spent all of his energy and would’ve killed himself if she hadn’t stopped it. Perhaps it was only his last remaining slivers of sanity and discipline that kept him from placing a pistol against his head and ending it there. She would’ve been able to do nothing to stop it.
Maxwell put her following thoughts into words.
“It’s a testament to his genius and willpower that he was able to handle it for so long. Only the most devout of the Church, such as those who lock themselves in a chamber and pray until they die of thirst and starvation, would be capable of resisting the voices as well as he had. But even they fall, and given more time, John would have been no exception. I know you all are in an active campaign across the northern regions, so it's lucky that you had the mind to bring him to me. I’m curious though. What made you do it?”
Umara pondered for a second. Sure, John had told her to do so in a brief moment of clarity, but ultimately, it had been Nonnen.
She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to say the things she did, but it had worked. Whether it was Nonnen’s spirit or John’s guardian angel didn’t matter. It had given him the window he needed to tell her what to do.
That she had even considered only bringing him after he had sifted through the ruins of the Nexus made her feel beyond stupid. She was glad she decided to bring him in immediately. An already dire situation could’ve been far worse.
She explained these things to Maxwell, making him subtly nod.
“I see… A lucky boy, to have such good friends.”
Both of them went silent, memories resurfacing in their minds.
After almost a minute, Umara asked.
“So, what happens now?”
“Well, when John wakes he’ll be normal again. He’ll need to quickly undergo his advancement, and since his mind has been reshaped with his Mind Palace technique, he’ll need to do some renovations to block out the interference. To do that he’s gonna need to learn and utilize my techniques. If he’s incapable of that, then he’ll have to be babysat until he reaches Authority 10 and breaches the Great Barrier.”
“That would take years.”
“Well, he better figure things out now, then. And it better be fast, because as nice as this room is, it won’t block out enough. I’ll have to maintain the arrays and I’m too weak to do it forever. He’s on a timer to learn the formations and advance.”
“And if the timer ends?”
Maxwell shrugged in response.
“You lock him down and put him in a coma until I can recover enough to bring the arrays back up. If he continues to fail then we’ll have to bring him to the Church to find a specialist that can use my formations for as long as he needs to figure his shit out. Simply keeping him asleep wouldn’t protect him long term, so it would be a round-the-clock job. I know the boy would loathe that kind of life.”
“I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”
Umara spoke with relative confidence. She didn’t doubt that John had the intelligence to work out the issue, but this was a time issue more than anything. Those arrays Maxwell used were on a level she couldn’t comprehend, and one that John hadn’t reached yet. They were obviously a more advanced form than the ones he had been taught, but then again, John had reverse-engineered and redeveloped programmed magic for himself, something entirely different from what even Maxwell used.
Only John would be able to give them the answers to their worries, so it was just a matter of waiting until he finally woke up. As for Umara, she was exhausted enough so she decided to get some sleep while she could. They had just left the battlefield, after all, and unlike John she couldn’t go weeks or months without sleep.
After speaking with Maxwell a bit more and giving him the context he desired, she gave her goodbyes and left the room, cleaning up and knocking out as soon as her head hit her familiar pillow.
……
…
……
My eyes opened before I had even comprehended that I was waking up.
In fact, ‘waking up’ wasn’t even the correct term for what I was doing. Based on fragmented memories that felt like someone else's, I had actually woken up hours ago. It was only now that I had finally been released from a dark mental prison of my own design.
I could see the damage in my Mind Palace first. The foundations were cracked, the data center was damaged or just not working, my Psykic power was all over the place, following none of the pathways or enchanted directions I had given it so long ago.
More importantly, there were marks left behind, signs of outside influence. I could hear echoes in the hallways and coming from inside the walls. There was no intent or power behind them. In fact, I was pretty sure they were just coming from the disarrayed memories that hadn’t been properly codified.
Either way, it was clear that I was myself again. Even more apparent was the incredible discomfort. I almost started singing out of reflex before forcing down the urge. It was quiet. Unbearably so. I had been hearing voices, screams, and songs in my head for so long that going without them felt painful, like a withdrawal symptom.
Still, the memories came surging through my mind. I didn’t even have to recount them. Although I had become myself again, I never truly was without some semblance of control. I was always the same person, but I had also been changed. It was impossible for me to describe how those spiritual entities had changed me with powers I couldn’t comprehend, but what I did know was that it took me mere seconds to understand what had happened, as if I never lost control for half a year.
A quick glance told me Maxwell was here. He knew I was awake already, knew it the moment my eyes had opened, and probably earlier than that if the arrays around me provided him any information. I just silently leaned myself up against the backboard and took out a cigar, taking a long drag of it and feeling the potent energy fill my body, doing nearly nothing for my mind.
Eventually, I was the first to speak.
“Thank you, Maxwell. And sorry. I never wanted to make this your problem. Didn’t think you’d have to be the one to ultimately save me from that.”
“...I suppose as your teacher, I was bound to do it at some point. Since I couldn’t do it for you with Anarchy, this was the next best opportunity. A student’s gotta owe their teacher. You still have yet to pay me for inspiring you with my Rail designs.”
“You mean your increased quality of life didn’t automatically make us even?”
“I don’t care how much you improve the state of the world, I only accept direct forms of payment. I didn’t get as rich as I did by being paid in thanks and pats on the back, and on top of that, your Trains did a noticeable amount of damage to my revenue stream. I expect compensation. I’ve got a lifestyle to maintain.”
I chuckled in agreement, taking another deep breath and releasing a cloud of smoke.
After a bit of silence, Maxwell chimed.
“Send one of those my way, boy.”
“You smoke?”
“Used to. The wife introduced me to it after my body started to crystallize. There were few other things that helped distract from the pain, so I took to it.”
“Hmm.”
I hummed, cutting another cigar before lighting it and flicking it to him. He caught it with two fingers, smoothly bringing it to his lips to take a long smoke.
He relaxed a bit more, if only on old reflex. That’s when I asked.
“So, your wife…”
“Tracie Korpela.”
“You mean-”
“Yes, the one who made the Crowns.”
“So then your son…”
“Valdemar Korpela. When I was branded a heretic, he changed his surname to my wife’s maiden name. The Church’s most renowned General and his Peerage couldn’t retain the heretical Albarain name.”
I slowly nodded my head, a few more things making sense. Not only was Maxwell a lot older than I initially realized, but my memories flashed back to my wedding.
I noticed Maxwell remaining hidden during most of it. I initially thought that he was just avoiding the Sovereigns like Anderson and Hallowlight. I just didn’t realize that Valdemar was on that list as well, and the main culprit.
I could imagine that the son wasn’t too fond of his father for doing whatever he did to get branded a heretic. But that also meant that my connection to Maxwell was problematic as well. If Valdemar knew that I was his protege, relations would strain. I didn’t believe the man was so unreasonable as to deny all forms of cooperation, but he’d certainly be more resistant to it.
I was the heretic’s apprentice. That wasn’t an attractive title to have.
I puffed more smoke before sighing.
“Alright, although I enjoy a bit of context, I can sense that you’re on a timer with those arrays. I’d prefer to speak about those.”
“Won’t get any disagreements from me. The faster I can ease up, the better. But are you capable of listening as well as you need to right now?”
“I’m fine. Besides the silence making me want to shoot myself in the head, I’m actually doing better than ever. I need something to think about, so lay it on me.”
“Very well.”
Maxwell sat up, radiating an air of authority that I’d never felt from the man before. I had already learned that he was far more powerful than me, but feeling it first hand was, for the first time, truly making me feel like a student before his master.
I was glad. I would finally be speaking with someone who was better than I was at what I was best at. I wouldn’t just be getting a book thrown at me to read. This would be an actual lecture.
The best part was how when Maxwell started talking, his words came out carrying Psykic power with it.
