Varyon’s fellow members of the Sky Wolves had expressed interest in seeking out a few days rest. They wanted a reprieve from battle, a moment to breathe easy and focus on building on their already strong bonds… and they deserved it. But such a thing… well, such a thing was foreign to Varyon.
During his time with the thousand-legged spiders, he was never afforded rest, never lent a hand nor shown an ounce of camaraderie. No, it was always about the next kill, about recovering the next relic. He didn’t know how to be a true guildmate (and the way Leila has been ogling him was a bit discomforting). So, while the others using this brief reprieve to enjoy the few splendors the wretched city had to offer, he remained in his room and trained.
That is until he heard a soft knock on the outside of his wooden door.
Varyon drew in a slow, measured breath, drawing in the power of his spirit aura as he brought the room to a complete and utter standstill. Then, with a quick exhale... he dismissed his temporal sphere.
The volley of blades fell from above, many of them weighted and approaching with increasing speed. However, Varyon was more than prepared. Channeling aura into his palm, the adept launched a wave of spirit energy across the room, targeting the over-sized wind blade that sat perched against the far wall.
The flying sword instantly came to life, soaring across the room before swinging its blade in a sweeping arc above Varyon’s head. Sparks showered the floor as the wind blade deflected each and every weapon, knocking the falling knives away and propelling them into the door.
A breath later the carved-up door swung open, revealing a very pale-face Remley.
“I do hope those blades weren’t meant for me,” he said, eyeing the number of sharp, metal points protruding from the wood.
“Apologies,”. Varyon replied, dipping his head in a low bow. “Training one’s temporal aura can sometimes lead to some... unorthodox methods.”
Remley chuckled. “And I thought building flame aura was dangerous.”
Varyon rose to his feet and retrieved a stool, placing it in front of Rem and offering the flame wielder a seat. “Have you come because you require my assistance?”
Remley shrugged. “That’s kind of why I wanted to speak with you. We’ve been through... a lot the past few weeks and I feel like maybe I’ve had the wrong impression of you.”
Varyon considered the man’s words. “Well, I did try to kill you once,” he reminded him before pulling his black tunic over his chest.
“Yes...” Remley agreed. “And since then you’ve twice risked your life for me and my crew. Plus, there’s that whole bonding to my spirit thing...”
“Apologies,” Varyon replied. “But I didn’t feel like I had any other choice. I had to-“
“I know why you did it,” Remley interrupted. “And I’ve accepted it. Actually... it’s why I’m here.”
Varyon raised a brow. “You are?”
Remley nodded. “Those dark guild bastards used you… they took away what life you had and forced you to live your life as one of their agents of death. Well, not anymore. I’m going to tell you everything I know about the steel brotherhood, about the greater guild and about my family. We’ll see if it sparks any of those memories you’re looking for. With some luck, maybe you’ll even get a glimpse into your past. Into the real you.”
“Th-thank you,” Varyon managed to choke out, stunned by the flame adept’s sudden openness.
“There is one other thing,” Remley added, placing a hand behind his own head and ruffling his long hair. “I’d like you to train with me tonight. If you’re going to be stuck with me, then it’d be beneficial for us to be able to coordinate our attacks. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy having to be rescued by Leila and my sister.”
Varyon nodded, pondering the flame adept’s words. Then, for the first time since he could remember, the temporal adept smiled. “That sounds excellent.”
****
Leila Aurora Rose sat in an old wooden chair in the corner of the Sky Wolves’ common area, staring at her tightly wrapped palm. Beneath the runic bandages, she could feel her divine power stirring, trying to force its way out and assume control of her body. And if she was being honest... it was downright terrifying.
The last few days had been a blur for the wind adept. Despite her best judgment, she’d leapt into battle against the Kaito brothers, releasing her dark passenger in the process. The power she gained from it was immense, but it felt like mere seconds before she’d lost control, before she became a prisoner in her own body.
Her dark passenger had taken over the fight, exerting its will and turning her body into a force of destruction. Leila felt as though she was watching her body through a lens, unable to act as her spirit tore through the market and left Kazuka Kaito lying in a pool of his own blood.
After the battle with the Kaito brother, her dark passenger led her into the sewers, to a place cold and dark and away from the wretched adepts who would seek to separate them… an escape from those who would seek to snuff out their life. However, the dark power eventually drained her entirely of spirit energy, sapping her strength until she was left unconscious in a pool of muck. After that everything faded to black... that is, until she woke to find herself back in the tower and in control once more.
Leila went through the motion of tightening her fist and relaxing it, causing the dark energy to ripple just beneath her runic bandages. The runes had been forged by Yoshiro and enhanced with Seline’s spirikai power, making them far stronger than the ones she had before. And yet, she still couldn’t help but wonder just how long it’d be before something happened, before she lost control once more...
“How long do you plan on sitting here and sulking?”
Leila jumped as the rather gruff voice reached her ears, suddenly realizing that she wasn’t alone. Slowly her eyes shifted to the center of the room where Quinn stood, a grin resting on his unshaven face.
“I’m the leader of this guild and I have every damn right to sulk,” Leila replied, crossing her wrapped arm beneath the other. She watched as Quinn made his way over to her side, his steps much lighter than she was accustomed.
Instead of wearing his brown and green tunic, Quinn sported a series of thick bandages wrapped heavily around his torso, each of them soaked in a divine healing salve. During the attack of the Kaito brothers, Ayzeth Kaito had delivered a rather vicious blow to the dread hunter’s back, immediately removing the man from battle and nearly breaking his spine. Thankfully, his back had been spared due to some quick work from some of Shadowreach’s most prominent light adepts. Still, it would be weeks before the man was truly functional again, and perhaps longer until he was back to full power.
With a grimace, Quinn bent down and took a seat next to Leila, pressing a hand into his still tender torso. “I suppose you do... Though I gotta admit, I don’t like seeing that look on your face again.”
“What look?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
Quinn’s grin widened. “That same look you had when I first found you back in Atherune.”
Leila smirked. “You mean when you were hunting me down?”
“Hey, the Blazing Falcons we’re paying me good money to bring you in,” Quinn replied. “You’re just lucky that I found you before anyone else did. Who knows what would’ve happened to them.”
Leila shrugged. “Better for them, I suppose.”
Quinn drew in a deep breath, then leaned in and placed his hand over Leila’s, drawing a wide-eyed look on her face. “Listen, Lei... when I found you, you had this look about you, like a wolf who’d been torn from her pack. Honestly, I almost felt bad for you… Then you found out I was trying to bring you in, and you were damned fearless! D’you remember what you said to me?”
Leila grinned. “I said it would take all the damned gods and their mothers to get me outta there.”
Quinn let out a chuckle. “And when your spirit flared and the wind around me began to spin like a hurricane, I knew you were telling the
truth. To Bahamut’s bare ass with rank, you’re the strongest adept I know. You’re going to learn how to control this thing Leila, and me and the Sky Wolves are going to be with you every step of the way!”
Quinn hoisted her wrapped arm into the air, his grip fierce and his gaze resolute. Acting on reflex, the wind adept yanked her arm back and pulled it into her chest.
“But... how? How I’m supposed to control something that threatens to consume me? Something that I don’t even fully comprehend?!”
Quinn’s grin returned as he reached behind his back, retrieving an item that he’d tucked into his sash. “Yoshiro went and hunted this down after Roy found you in the tunnels. He thinks it’ll help.” Slowly, the dread hunter revealed the item in question, a tattered black book with pages that smelled of brimstone.
//////////
Item: Shadows Scripted, a guide to understanding Darkbeast techniques
//////////
Leila wasn’t certain if she wanted to smile, cry, or unleash her spirit aura and tear that damned book to shreds. She wasn’t a monster like the creatures on those pages. She wasn’t a creation of some vile dark god! And yet... she couldn’t deny the slim possibility that within those pages may lie something that could help her control her dark passenger, a technique that might return some semblance control to her life.
With a lump in her throat, Leila forced a smile onto her face. Then without speaking, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Quinn’s, allowing the warmth of her spirit to flow.
Chapter 4
The Tower in the Sky
Seline’s Tower, the city of Shadowreach
Seline Bonaduce stood atop her darksteel tower, waiting impatiently for her visitor to arrive. The winds were fierce at such a high altitude, buffeting her silver flame aura and sending her long tunic dancing about like a wind sprite. However, it wasn’t the high altitude nor the mighty winds that left her patience frayed. No, what bothered Seline, the silver dragon was the profound silence.
As the leader of the bronze horns, Seline had become accustomed to her subordinates constantly coming at her with problems, questions, and the occasional threat to her organization. As a leader of the steel brotherhood, it had been even worse with one of her siblings or her guild members in her ear nearly every moment of the day. But now… now she was stuck, waiting alone atop her tower for the spirit magus, Argo Zael.
With a sigh, Seline crept forward towards the edge of the platform so that the toes of her boots hung off the edge. Then she gazed down at the city that lied nearly a thousand feet below. Almost immediately her eyes shifted to the war-torn market, the place she went toe to toe with that dreaded Ayzeth Kaito.
The memory stung at her... Despite her bravado, she had barely managed to hold her own against the powerful devil adept, even with the aid of her steel brotherhood insignia. And now that her location had been revealed, it would only be a matter of time before the dark guilds came for her and her brother once more. It was a damned endless strife...
Seline took a final look at the destroyed plaza before turning her gaze to the sky, allowing the wind to blow through her silky black hair. Somehow, she found it calming, averting her gaze away from the noise and the politicking and the constant strife of Eon to just focus on something simpler… like the open sky.
The old Seline would’ve scoffed at her. She would urge her to seek out her enemies, drain their blood and return the steel brotherhood to its former glory. She would never allow the glorious silver dragon to settle for being a stargazer…
Seline’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps it’s time to bring her back.”
The spirikai’s stance suddenly shifted, her hand sliding to the hilt of her silver blade and releasing it from its scabbard. Silver flame swirled around the adept as he fell into a kata, swinging her weapon with ferocity and grace as she lit up the top of her tower with the flames of her spirit. However, burning with an even greater intensity were the reservations within her soul.
Despite how strong she’d grown, despite the obstacles she’d overcome… Seline couldn’t help but feel that she’d grown soft. She’d become so entranced with gaining a foothold in Shadowreach that she’d nearly lost sight of her true goal, her life’s true meaning… to return glory to her family’s legacy, the steel brotherhood guild.
Seline continued to fall deeper into her rooftop kata, building resolve with each step that she took. In fact, she had become so enthralled in her technique that she hadn’t noticed the gravitational aura beginning to yank at her body.
Before Seline could manage to right herself, the gravity technique pulled her off her feet, propelling her into the air as if she were a mere feather in the wind. Higher and higher the flame adept rose, parting clouds with her spirit and scaring off minor sky beasts as if she were some sort of avian predator.
For a second, Seline imagined that she was on her way to the heavens, a chosen one being brought forth to stand by the throne of some benevolent god. But no... her true destination was now within sight, and it was far from divine.
Just beyond a thin layer of atmosphere Seline could make out what appeared to be a pristine floating tower. The walls of the structure were blue and shimmered like a sheet of glass, seemingly built atop a bed of clouds. Though rather large, the tower was suspended high enough to remain hidden from those walking the streets of Shadowreach. And at the structure’s base stood the man who had called upon Seline, the only man in the city strong enough to pull her through the skies against her will. Standing there in his old tunic was none other than Argo Zael, spirit magus and overseer of Shadowreach.
“Silver dragon... what a pleasure for you to visit!” Argo said, speaking as if he hadn’t just used a gravitational technique to drag her up there.
Seline held back an eye roll and simply replied “the pleasure is all mine.”
Slowly, the spirit magus made his way across the cloud-like base of the tower, coming to a stop at the flame adept’s side.
“Isn’t it marvelous?” he asked, peering off the cloud’s edge and gazing upon the vast city below. “An entire empire of outcasts built from scratch... a city forged by those the realm would rather see forgotten.”
Seline took a moment to peer at the city for herself, to expand her gaze to its entirety rather than just the marketplace where her last battle was held. She studied the massive darksteel towers, the crowded slums, the dark alleys, and the expansive fighting arena... Argo was right. The city was truly something to behold. But without the spirit magus to protect it, would it really be worth saving?
A sudden coughing fit from Argo pulled her attention back to the cloudy platform. She watched with pity as the man used his sleeve to wipe blood from his lips before straightening out his tunic.
“I don’t have long,” Argo said, peering at his stained sleeve with sadness. “This body of mine is giving out... I suppose that’s what happens when you live for hundreds of years and fail to reach the heavens.”
“The heavens are overrated,” Seline replied, briefly glancing into the sky.
“Precisely,” Argo continued. “That’s why I created this city... To serve as a haven for those that the heavens rejected.”
Seline crossed her arms and turned her gaze back to the man. “And now you want me to watch over it?”
The idea of running Shadowreach had once enticed the silver flame adept, but seeing her brother alive had reignited her passion to see the steel brotherhood thrive once more. Unfortunately, she was a long way from reaching that goal… however, having the power of the city of rogues behind her could certainly change that.
Argo nodded. “Well, yes. Shadowreach is not only my legacy, but it’s a vital part of Eon’s ecosystem. Without it, a lot of the rogue adepts you see below us would end up forced into service to one of the dark guilds or end up as fodder to the darkbeasts. It would disrupt the balance of things.”
Seline turned to face the man, a look of intensity in her eyes. “But why me? Why not find anot
her magus or a spirit lord to rule over this place?”
Argo grinned. “Because my dear, adepts with that type of strength always have their own agenda. But unlike them, your spirit is still young. It can be molded into what this city needs. And besides, you’ve already begun your takeover from the shadows with that organization of yours...”
Seline smirked. “Very well. I’ll take the city off your hands... but let me ask you this. Once you keel over, how do you propose I protect this place from the approaching veil? I can’t imagine the size of the darkbeast horde that’ll be waiting to get in once your barrier falls.”
Argo’s smile widened as he motioned to the tower that stood at his back. “I didn’t ascend to the rank of spirit magus without collecting a few relics along the way. Now, let’s head inside and see what we can find to help strengthen that spirit of yours.”
****
Moments later, Seline found herself in the upper level of Argo’s hidden tower, his self-proclaimed vault. It wasn’t uncommon for high-powered adepts to keep their treasures locked away, though usually they were stored deep within guild halls or sealed in interplanar chambers by ancient techniques. Never had she heard of one just floating in the sky like this... but then again, never had she ever meant someone quite as strange as Argo Zael.
Slowly, the flame adept’s gaze drifted across the room to the various treasures that sat on display. She eyed a sword and shield made completely of crystal, a scroll that resonated with the power of a mighty earthquake, a mask made of dragon bone, a cylinder containing a drop of the worldstar’s light, and even a tunic with fabric that was harder than steel. There were just so many items and so many strange energies circulating the vault that she almost felt... overwhelmed.
“Just a few of the things I’ve collected over the years,” Argo said as he strode over to a large metal chest at the far end of the room. “In fact, I even created a few of them myself.”
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 44