The journey back to Sacrifice's domain was an awkward one.
Der, powered by the highest cultivation among the three, dashed through thousands of miles in complete silence. His demeanor had also changed. His once straight and stern posture had sagged, as his shoulders dropped an inch. Had either of his companions traveled ahead of him, they would have been able to see traces of fear on his face, alternated by fits of alertness. For the last several hours his body had charged forward, deaf to Roley's constant attempts at striking conversation, but his ears were vigil.
"I don't think we will need that many spatial treasures anyway. Provided that we make some changes to the formation, I should be able to fuel it with the treasure of primordial space essence alone." Roley said in consideration to every little thing the pair had intended to do once their friends and family would have been free from danger. A one-sided conversation that now had continued uninterrupted for mere minutes since their departure.
His spoken thoughts, however, were ignored by the old warrior, who kept flying in silence.
"If that doesn't work either, I.. I could try to.." his voice trailed into silence, abandoned in the wake of his passage like loose hair, flakes of dead skin and the occasional bit of spittle. "I could try to merge with it." He then added.
Der's body straightened as an angered groan escaped his throat. With fists tightened into balls of steel, he turned his head to the side, just enough for Roley's figure to appear in his peripherals, but only for a moment. Too short and quiet for the scholar to notice, else it could have brought their advance to a halt, and possibly start an argument. Further delay that Der had no need for.
Unaware of Der's reaction, Roley continued, "While I failed to merge with the power of light and darkness before, those were only perfect treasures that did not fit the primordial nature of my other elements. I only managed to once I obtained the primordial ones, and only thanks to the help of the Elementalist." He explained, giving answers to questions of doubt no one had ever asked. "But space is different. Space and time are not opposing, they exist together. Merging with the spatial treasure alone should be possible, especially now that I can use the system myself."
The last sentence was spoken with reassurance, and a not-so-well hidden hint of excitement. His gaze had shifted from Der to Daniel more than once throughout the conversation, and to the latter whenever Roley felt in need of someone's support. For Daniel to say that he was right, that he should do it, and that nothing dangerous or wrong would come from it.
Unfortunately for him, Daniel had taken a page off of Der's book, choosing to travel the way back in silence, purposely lagging a few dozen feet behind the two. His eyes, however, were as attentive as ever. They locked onto each approaching cultivator in a threatening fashion, or particular sights they encountered in feigned interest, only really paying attention during the pauses in between, when his eyes would graze by his two companions.
Of the three, Daniel was the most aware of what was happening. Of the changes to Roley's behavior that Der too had noticed, but was unable to explain, and that Roley had yet to discover. Obtaining the primordial power of sound had changed him, just like fusing with every other treasure of primordial essence had in the past.
The treasures of elemental power, essences of fire, wood, metal, lightning, water, air and earth had taken away his passion for knowledge, turning him into a single-minded human whose life did not consist of experiencing the world around him, but to achieve a single goal. The freedom of the elementals. A goal that he sought for with more brutality when the treasures of light and darkness were fused into his body. When his inhibition towards mass slaughter of those he deemed his enemies had been put out like a candle in the wind. It did not matter whether those people were compelled to act on other's orders or followed on their own accord, as long as they were against him, he would kill them.
Lucky had been the slaves of the system of devotion, for had their goddess ordered them to attack, Roley would not have wasted time finding a path that could avoid bloodshed.
Now that Roley had merged with the power of sound, Daniel had noticed, his connections to those he cared about had started to crumble, just like his had, when he had become a full fledged aspect of existence. However, Roley's ascension seemed to be different from his own in more than one way. After all, Daniel had made a choice. He had the option to reject his ascension, and die with his connections intact, or sever them, and become the aspect of Karma. Roley had never had to make that choice.
Following Daniel's decision, what were once for him a stable ground of emotional connections started to crumble under his feet, dropping him from the world of mortality into the world of divinity in a cold and lonely free fall. It had been sudden, and definitive.
Roley's ascension, on the other hand, felt more like walking down a flight of stairs. Each step brought him close to ascension, decimating what was left of his mortality in exchange for higher power.
Der, observant as he was, had immediately noticed the changes in Roley's behavior. The disappearance of the urgency he had seen in his eyes when, still lacking the powers of light and darkness, the two had found each other. When he still was the scholar he knew, albeit devoid of the curiosity and greenness towards the world, and childish dreams for the future.
Changes that Roley himself had failed to notice.
In his mind, he had never doubted the necessity to rescue his friends, and yet, those thoughts had fallen in importance. His mind would constantly trail to theories regarding his ascension, to questions regarding ways of obtaining a treasure of primordial time essence, and of desire to test his power against other aspects of existence. Thoughts he had initially felt bad for having, but that now, after only a few hours, he had gotten used to.
Had his former self known where the Roley's current priorities stood, he would have smacked him senseless, and yelled at him to no end. 'Listen to Der. Do what he says. Stop talking!' He would have said, or perhaps that was what was happening in his mind. A feeble voice that came from the depths of his psyche, forcing him to stay focused on the task at hand, and pushing him to talk to the only other mortal left in their group. But it was failing.
The two had not spoken for hours, and from what it looked like, they wouldn't any time soon.
Naturally, none of these details escaped Daniel's watchful gaze, and yet, he was too busy with his own thoughts to play therapist. Roley's intentions worried him, but not for reasons Der would have agreed to.
What worried him was Roley's instability. He had not expected his power to grow to such lengths with the addition of a single primordial power, and yet, there he was. As powerful as some aspects of existence, but with a mind split between the two sides. His rational side reminded him of what his goal had always been, while his emotional side begged him to take a detour to recover the treasure of primordial essence of space.
What would happen to Roley if he succeeded in merging with the treasure of space? Daniel wondered, soon coming to the realization that his power would, most likely, surpass his own. Yet, his mind would be in chaos. He would become obsessed with the desire to find a treasure of time essence, desperate. Too proud of his own power to steer clear of beings that could still harm him, and too powerful for him to control.
Soon, a thought cemented itself into Daniel's mind.
"There is no need for it." He said, catching Roley in the middle of a sentence. "With your current power, you can easily repel any aspect of existence of the low tier. Those stronger than you, won't care about your existence unless you ascend. Time is of the essence, and we have too little to waste."
Both Der and Roley turned towards him, each sporting expressions of shock. Roley, in his naivety, could not understand why Daniel would be against the idea of him becoming stronger, and approach an ascension of his own. After all, he was the one who had brought him to the aspect of Sound.
Der, on the other hand, felt a surge of righteous indignation flare through his body. He had agreed with Daniel's words, but for different reasons. Reasons he had wanted to yell right into the scholar's ears. Yet, as he opened his mouth, only a few words came out. "You don't need it, and we are almost there." he muttered in a deep, yet clear tone that forced Roley to shut his mouth, hurt.
After shutting down Roley's most insistent thoughts, Daniel let out a deep sigh.
It was a shame, he thought, that treasures of primordial time essence were so difficult to find. If they weren't, Roley could ascend, and join Daniel in the war between the old and new aspects of existence that he was ready to fight alone. He cared little for his attachment to mortals, he simply had no desire for his search for a treasure that was impossible to find to become the weight that would drag his potential ally down.
For now, he needed him to fight Sacrifice, and all the other aspects of existence he had managed to recruit. Whether there would be a chance for him to come in possession of a treasure of primordial time essence in the future, or he was destined to fight this war on his own, only time would tell.
The rest of the journey went on in silence, until finally, the group came upon a particular inter dimensional gateway.
One like every other, composed of a large ring of gray stone carved with runes of unknown origin, which worked as containment for a wiggly pool of gelatinous bluish power. However a detail had made it different. The presence of uncountable crosses and poles, each locked into space like drops of muddy rain. Their number impossible to count on the spot.
What was more eye-catching, however, were the equal number of corpses that had been nailed onto them, sometimes tied in barbed wire by the neck or stomach, or skewed on especially sharp ends. These corpses looked quite fresh, as the blood spilled by their many wounds, gashes of shiny red meat, was still lingering around their former containers, suspended in deep contrast to the surrounding milky void.
Der's power exploded at his feet, as his body launched towards the interdimensional portal.
Just before he could enter, however, a group of cultivators walked out. They wore battle armors of blood-colored metal over dark fitting clothes, and carried large spears strapped to their backs, and banners large enough to cover mountains. These banners were white in color, and on them were depicted symbols that would trick the eye. One moment, the image would resemble that of a man dying by his lord's feet, holding him dearly as the arrow he took in its liege's stead was held steady for his comfort. Next, the image portrayed images of a lunatic, a priest who stabbed the man's back in an effort to offer his blood to his God.
The banner of sacrifice's domain.
To lead this group of warriors, was an unimpressive woman. She stood at a medium-height, with no particularly appealing facial features, nor flattering curves other than the muscles she had built throughout the thousands of years of service, along with the scars that marked her face. Despite her simple appearance, her body emitted the essence of a cultivator at the high phases of the godhood stage. A terrifying aura which lingered around her body in the shape of countless loose strings. Her eyes shifted proudly between the figures of Der, Roley and Daniel, surprise showing the moment they registered the absence of the Immortal Armada, and the Elemental Army.
"I am Novah, lady of the Martyrs, and first of Sacrifice." She said respectfully. "My Lord awaits inside."
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