by Andrew Rowe
I processed that. “From the visages? Is that what this is about? Your tower…it prevents them from watching you?”
“The visages, yes. And others. I must continue remain hidden while I continue my one last, greatest work.”
“Which is…?”
He turned back toward me, then tapped the tower beneath him. “This.”
I paused, considering. “Your artificial spire. What’s the end goal with that? You indicated it wasn’t just for distributing your own attunements.”
“It is not, though that may be a worthy goal. Perhaps if I had the spark of youth, I would still plan to use it for that purpose. As it is, however, I have a different cause.” He paused, looking upward. “I want to see her. To talk to her. To understand why.”
“You…” I froze, ideas swirling in my head. “The tops of the spires are used to reach the goddess. You think that if you build a tower high enough, you can reach the divine lands themselves?”
“I do not think. I know. I have seen them. I have seen the kingdoms of the sky — and they rejected me, once. Or, rather, the visages did. If those shadows of her divine majesty will not allow me in her presence, then, well…” His hands clenched into fists. “I will find my own way into the heavens above and find my way to her side myself.”
“Will…that even accomplish anything? What if she isn’t even there?”
Warren smiled. “A good question, and one I have pondered myself many times. What if Selys is dead? What if she never existed? What if she is shackled under the control of the visages, or the tyrant himself? Perhaps in those cases, I would be wasting my life, save for one thing — if I reach her kingdom, I would know. I would know why the goddess has been silent for so very, very long.”
“Is that truly the important thing, when there is so much work to be done here?” I walked to the side of the tower, shivering briefly against the cold as I waved my hand out above the Unclaimed Lands. Even in the night, I could see hundreds of miles from our high vantage point, maybe thousands.
There was so much out there — such a wide and beautiful world. I saw the shores of Lake Selden to the north, the wide forests to the south, and…was that a small settlement? I could see tiny buildings in the distance, perhaps the much-vaunted expedition that Keras and Lars had spoken of. I was pretty sure Derek had been there, too, during his visit to the Seventh Spire.
“You are correct, of course. There are more relevant ways I could be using my knowledge and abilities. I am, alas, not capable of them. Not with the questions burning in my ever-fading mind.”
I turned toward him, feeling a sudden sense of loss. “You…is there no treatment for what you’re going through? If it’s not just about the overuse of mana, then…”
“There is no solution I know of that would allow me to remain myself. I have, of course, explored many options. Perhaps I will find one in time. Perhaps the goddess herself will offer my salvation.” He paused, then shook his head. “But I am not hopeful. I can only wish that enough of me remains to demand the answers I seek if I reach my goal.”
“…And if I help you hide, that will slow your decline?”
“Yes.” He nodded firmly. “It will both enable me to have more time to pursue the goddess. And, perhaps more to your interests, it will allow me to host an event of political import. That will, perhaps, be my last great gesture of significance.”
“An event?” I asked.
“The Emerald Council. A meeting of minds between the most powerful of humanity. If my tower is properly secured against the gazes of outsiders, I will summon the council here next year. There, we will discuss the affairs of the world. This, I believe, may be of interest to you.”
I nodded fervently. “Is this something that has occurred before?”
“Yes, but infrequently, and not since my crystal was taken. Should you help me, I will ensure you are given an invitation to attend the event, in spite of your attunement level. You will be given leave to speak to the council and plead your brother’s case — or your own.”
“You make it sound as if you think there’s something distinct from Tristan’s vision I should be pursuing.”
Warren shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. I can see so little. Less, now, than before. But I know this much, if you will permit me to speak brazenly. You must learn to live outside of your brother’s shadow. Only then will you find the fullness of your power.”
“Still super vague, but I’ll take it into consideration. Thank you.”
“I…tire now. I believe we should both get some rest.” Warren put a hand over his eyes. “I am glad you came here, Corin Cadence. I am pleased to have met you, regardless of what happens.”
“I…feel the same way. Thank you, Master Constantine.”
The older man nodded, then wearily walked back to the center of the rooftop and tapped his staff against the floor again. “Inside.”
The floor flashed. We reappeared inside the building.
And as I walked back to the room to find Vanniv waiting, I felt a chill greater than the wind from the rooftop within me. The deep, unabating cold of experiencing loss.
***
The rest of my night went quickly. Vanniv ensured I was safe, then we went back to reading, but I found little ability to concentrate.
I still had so many questions for Constantine…and I knew that it was very likely I would never get satisfactory answers.
Perhaps that was why I could understand him so very well.
His quest to seek the land beyond the sky was what most would call a fool’s errand — arrogant and brimming with hubris. But, on a visceral level, I absolutely understood it.
And I wanted to help. Help more than I possibly could hope to with the little magic at my disposal.
I woke Sera at the designated time, then crawled into my own bed. It was comfortable, but it took me ages to sleep.
My mind was still swimming with ideas and sorrow.
I woke the next morning still keenly feeling a sense of disappointment, but I still dragged myself out of bed and prepared for my trip to the shrine. Sera was already up, and together, we left the room to head downstairs. We weren’t given any instructions, but that seemed the simplest way to get the tower owner’s attention.
Warren was nowhere to be found. Instead, we found Len waiting, with a table set for breakfast. We discussed the maters of the day over food.
“This shrine should be one of the safest ones, provided that you are cautious,” Len explained.
“Why doesn’t he just go there himself, then?”
“He already did, quite some time ago, when he was…in a better frame of mind. But after completing any specific shrine, you need to wait several years before you can take the trials and earn another boon. Excepting the elemental temples, of course. Those work differently than standard crystal shrines.”
That made sense. Keras had said something similar about the Spirit Gateway Crystal test’s limitations.
…I should ask Len if she can take me there to do those trials at some point. If she was created there, teleporting back there should be comparatively easy, unless she requires some sort of anchor…
“You look distracted. Are you nervous?” Len asked.
“No. I mean, yes, but that’s not the issue. My mind just…has a tendency to wander at times, sorry.”
I was still thinking about the last evening and the implications of Warren’s statements. What could I do? How could I help?
Why did I want so badly to help someone I had just met?
“I understand all too well.” Len smiled warmly at me. “Now, I can transport you to the shrine, but I won’t be able to accompany you inside. This is a solo test, and beyond that, the crystals won’t let me take their challenges.”
“Because you’re not human?”
She shook her head. “Not precisely. More because of the precise circumstances of my birth. I’m effectively considered part of the crystal shrine’s…staff, we could call it? In human terms, tak
ing the tests would be something of a conflict of interest.”
“Ah. Understood.” I nodded. “Couldn’t Constantine get a more experienced adventurer to do this for him?”
“Yes, of course. But he’s not presently willing to leave the spire, which means he’ll take whoever I offer him.”
“Why not just ask Keras?”
Len winced. “It’s…there are several reasons. Not the least of which is that he’s been through this shrine before, and thus the time limitation is in place. More importantly…I am in no position to ask him for a favor. Owing that man two life debts is more than sufficient.”
“Two?” I blinked.
“My brother’s life, as well as my own.”
“Dyson, right?” Sera asked her.
Len smiled. “He’s a wonderful brother. As someone with a sibling yourself, I’m sure you understand how important that is.”
“Two siblings,” I corrected instinctively, surprising myself in the aftermath. Apparently, I’d internalized Sera being my actual sister at some point without even realizing it.
“I have two as well.” Len replied fondly. “Or, rather, the true Lydia did — but I suppose I only have one analogous to myself, if that makes sense.” She laughed. “Families are complicated, aren’t they?”
“I know what you mean.” I grinned.
“What precisely do you get out of all this?” Sera gave Len a suspicious look. “Introducing us, facilitating us taking this challenge, all that?”
“I have a long-term interest in ensuring that both of you have a good rapport with Warren and as much personal knowledge and power as possible.”
“…Why?” I asked.
“I believe there will be a point in the near future in which your abilities will prove necessary on a wide scale.”
“That’s a bit evasive,” Sera noted.
“It’s what I’m prepared to tell you for the time being. Worry not, my plans are reminiscent of your brother’s, and I do not anticipate any conflict. If I felt that it would be useful, I would consider joining him directly, but currently the tether of such an alliance would be a disadvantage to us both.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How much of my brother’s plans are you aware of, exactly?”
Len smiled brightly. “Shrine first, then we can discuss all that if time and circumstances permit it.”
“I don’t do well with secrets like these. Warren may have an excuse, but you are rapidly running out of them,” Sera pointed out.
“Tell you what, Miss Cadence. While Corin takes his test in the shrine, I’ll explain things to you. Then when he finishes, you can head inside if you choose to. Would that be acceptable?”
“Not really?” Sera shook her head. “Those seem like divide and conquer tactics. You can just tell us both now, can’t you?”
Len reached up and adjusted her glasses. “I’ll say a bit now. Warren is running short on time. It is in my best interest to get you inside that shrine to resolve his problems as quickly as physically possible. As for your brother, I’m aware of all of the Whisper factions in play, as well as their general goals. I’m also aware that you are likely here to recruit Warren to join that so-called ‘Ascension’ faction. It probably will not work, because Warren lacks the lucidity and trust to have that sort of association right now. Does that sufficiently answer your questions for the time being?”
That seemed pretty consistent with what Warren himself had said, albeit in a much more direct fashion.
“It’s a start.” Sera folded her arms. “But if Warren won’t join us, we may very well be wasting our time.”
“A favor from Warren will still be quite significant, either to you or to your brother’s cause. Moreover, even if Warren does not choose to join your faction, I believe that in a less stressful state he would be able to teach Corin to do some of what your brother needs from Warren.”
I raised an eyebrow at that. “Meaning how to make artificial attunements?”
“I sincerely doubt he could teach you everything necessary to create them in the few days you have remaining if you intend to return to school, but some relevant bits, yes. Perhaps more urgently, he can teach you more about attunement and brand modification.”
Brand modification. The expression hit me like a speeding train. “Wait. Meaning…enough to disable a brand by one of the visages?”
“Perhaps.” Len tilted her head toward me. “I admit, I am not an expert in such matters, but it is not strictly impossible. And I believe it would be a subject that would be of personal interest, would it not?”
I narrowed my eyes. “It would be.”
“Good, good. Now, shall we head to the shrine?”
I glanced at Sera, then back to Len. “Very well. Let’s do this.”
***
After a few more moments of talk, we confirmed that I would do my challenge first, then report what I’d learned to Sera and we could decide after that if she wanted to take the challenges of the shrine herself.
With that decided, Sera decided to stay behind in the tower and continue studying. Len agreed to come back in a bit to introduce her to some of the tower’s summons and fill her in on a bit more of her own political leanings. I knew, of course, that Sera would try to make a few new contracts while I was gone.
After dropping me off, Len would check back at the shrine area every hour or so, then teleport me back to the tower when needed.
Neither Sera nor I were entirely convinced that splitting up was a good idea, but the temptations of going through a sword shrine — as well as the potential rewards for completing one — seemed worth the risks.
It only took a few minutes for Len to gather up a pair of large crystals, close her eyes, then focus on one to cast her teleportation spell. The abrupt change of scenery was something I was unsure if I’d ever get used to, but I didn’t mind being deposited back out in the open air.
The sun blazed brightly in a cloudless sky over the Unclaimed Lands. I stood in the midst of a circular grove of trees with strange purple grass. In the center of the clearing was a titanic stone doorway, seemingly attached to nothing.
Len walked over to the door, knocked once, and whispered something to the stone. The door slowly opened, displaying a featureless white void. She waved both hands toward the open doorway. “All yours. Ordinarily, I’d offer to put a protection spell on you beforehand, but the entry will strip active spell effects.”
“Appreciate the thought regardless.” I had multiple shield sigils to protect me, anyway, and I wasn’t sure a barrier spell would work properly with them in place. I took a deep breath, shifted my left hand to hold Selys-Lyann’s scabbard in place, then stepped through the doorway.
Chapter XIX – Dungeon Design
I blinked as my vision cleared and I processed my new surroundings.
I stood near the sole door of an all-white cube, roughly twenty feet in any given direction. The strange, bleach-white color of the material gave it a sterile feeling, like I was inside some kind of medical facility. Maybe that feeling was less from the color and more from the aura in the air itself; I could sense mental mana and life mana around me, permeating everything.
The source of the overwhelming supply of mana was obvious enough. The only other occupant of the otherwise empty room was a tremendous white crystal, taller than I was and floating in mid-air.
I stared blankly at the sight. I’d walked into this place knowing that there would probably be a gigantic crystal, similar to the one that Keras had described in one of his first adventures on Kaldwyn. Seeing it in person was different for a number of reasons.
First, in spite of my exposure to mana crystals, I’d never seen anything like this. The crystal was so overwhelmingly radiant that I shouldn’t have been able to look at it directly, but when I did, I wasn’t blinded — I felt like I could see perfectly. Better than perfectly, in fact. A strange musical hum in the air felt loud enough that it should have been deafening, but I could hear perfectly.
E
verything felt clearer in the crystal’s presence. Better. Even me.
Simply being in the presence of the crystal was momentarily overwhelming, and I felt the urge to fall to my knees and…think?
Maybe contemplate is a better word.
…It was a strange feeling. Not peaceful, not tranquil, but an overwhelming urge to consider new ideas.
Beyond the sight and feeling, there was something obviously amiss: the crystal was supposed to be at the end of the temple. Hadn’t I just entered?
Maybe my memories of the place were erased, like after a Judgment. If that’s the case, did I already succeed?
Or could this be a fake crystal, as a part of the test?
Or maybe it’s a real crystal, but there’s something wrong with the temple?
Or maybe the challenges in this place are simply different from standard temples? I’ve presumed a great deal based on what Keras experienced with the Spirit Gateway Crystal, but they’re not all necessarily structured the same way. Maybe I need to go in a loop, both starting and ending at the crystal? Or maybe I start at the crystal and end elsewhere?
Or…
[Excellent speculation. Ordinarily, I would not interrupt such a fascinating thought process, but I feel obligated to provide you with relevant data that you are lacking.]
The voice was loud, like an explosion of thunder, but the feeling of a melodic chime. It felt almost like listening to music, but with the instrument right next to my ear, blaring at such volume that it was impossible to properly appreciate. It was also directly inside my mind, rather than an audible voice. I stumbled backward, instinctively flooding my mind with mental mana in response to the obvious mental intrusion.
The voice spoke again, but it was quieter this time. Less overwhelming.
[Ordinarily, visitors either need a lengthy acclimation period or instructions to raise their mental defenses. You did so without prompting. A rarity.]
“Let’s just say I’ve had some bad experiences with people forcing themselves into my mind before.” My head was clearing, both in terms of tolerance for the voice and for my surroundings in general. My mind still felt sharper than before, but as I converted more mana into mental mana, I regained control. “You’re the crystal, aren’t you?”