The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  Though Roy was thankful for the slight reprieve, he still couldn’t look past what Zyr had mentioned earlier... how this village, how all of it felt so... strange.

  “Why are you helping us?” he finally asked, drawing a look of surprise from Kimoura.

  merely grinned, placing a hand on his thigh and giving it a soft squeeze. “Because... we are all given choices that shape our destiny. You chose to enter my village, crossing our paths and entwining our destinies. That left me with a choice... a choice to help you or to turn you away. As you can see, I chose to lend you aid, thus affecting not only my destiny but yours as well.”

  Zyr sighed. “Your speaking in riddles, woman. Say what you mean.”

  Avery giggled. “I'm sorry, but I know no other way to speak. It is the way of the soul gazers.”

  Immediately Kimoura’s eyes went wide and Zyr’s face formed into a scowl. However, Roy paid them little mind. Instead, he turned his gaze to the information appearing in his spirit scan.

  //////////

  Soul Gazer

  A non-adept who claims to have a special yet unseen connection to the spiritual realm. Many claim they have the ability to view one’s very soul, and some even say they can see the threads of destiny themself. However, none of these abilities have actually been confirmed, thus leading many adepts to dub them false prophets.

  //////////

  “Spirit witch!” Zyr growled, eyeing Avery with newly found suspicion. “You manipulate truths and pretend to hold power to make up for that which you cannot claim.”

  Roy’s jaw nearly fell to the floor and Kimoura let out an audible gasp, but Avery merely smiled.

  “I’ve been called far worse... a liar, a fraud, a heretic. And yet, that does not diminish the power that I wield. Just because you cannot see it does not mean it’s not there.”

  Zyr crossed both his human and spider appendages in front of his chest before shooting the woman a smug look. “Spiritual power comes from spirit energy. I’ve dissected at least a thousand creatures and that fact always stays the same.”

  Avery raised a brow. “So, you’re a man of science? But then you’ve always been, haven’t you?”

  It was Zyr’s turn to furrow his brow. “What are you getting at?”

  Avery merely gave the adept a soft smile. “Why, I speak of your past. Despite your spiritual prowess, you spent many days in your laboratory, creating potions and elixirs that vastly improved the lives of your guildmates. You were respected, appreciated, even considered handsome by many... that is, until the accident.”

  Roy looked over at Zyr, whose postured had completely changed. It was almost as if the man had begun to wilt where he stood, sinking into a nearby chair as the soul gazer spoke. Regardless, she continued.

  “You went too far, didn’t you? You tried to use the blood and flesh of spirit beasts, you tried to splice their abilities onto the human form. Except... except it didn’t go as planned. The experiment succeeded, but it changed you. Your guild called you a monster. Your respect was replaced with anguish. And then...”

  “I was exiled,” Zyr said, finishing the woman’s sentence. “How? How could you know such things?”

  Avery reached up and touched the chimera adept’s cheek. “As I said noble adept, not all power can be seen or understood.”

  The mood in the room had suddenly grown somber, shifting with the dying embers of Avery’s fire. Zyr, who has been highly critical of the soul gazer, now seemed lost in a deep self-reflection. Kimoura seemed enamored with the woman as well, drawn in by both her mysterious power and almost supernatural beauty. Even Jakki, the often talkative Felyne seemed caught up in the soul gazer’s mysticism. However, her azure eyes had now become completely fixated on Roy.

  “You haven’t said much since your arrival. Are you unsettled?”

  “I’m fine,” the void adept replied, straightening his posture.

  Avery nodded. “Ah, then perhaps it’s your future that has you troubled then.”

  Roy leaned forward in his seat. “Wait, what d’ya mean troubled? I didn’t say-“

  “You didn’t have to,” Avery interjected, her tone suddenly shifting. “The threads of destiny pull on your soul harder than any I’ve seen before. It appears the eyes of the gods have fallen on you...”

  “What the Hell does that mean?” Roy growled, losing focus of his surroundings. Slowly, the room around him began to shift, melting away before his eyes until just he and Avery were floating in what appeared to be an endless starscape.

  “Your arms are trapped in the jaws of two mighty dragons,” Avery continued, floating towards Roy before placing her palms on his cheeks. “A dragon of fire and a dragon of ice... they pull you in opposite directions, threatening to tear you asunder.”

  Roy’s eyes went wide. A dragon of fire... he could only assume that was the dragon god Bahamut. But ice? Was she referring to-

  “Soon, you will need to make a choice,” Avery said, interrupting his thoughts. “In your past life, you chose duty over love. Now in Eon, you’ve fully embraced your love for another. But soon you’ll be faced with a similar choice. The dragon of flame pulls you towards a path of duty, a path that could ensure the survival of millions. However, the path of the ice dragon offers you the chance at love that you so rightfully deserve, but at an immeasurable cost to the realm.”

  Roy’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. “No, no… damn you! How dare you try to put something like that on me! I’ve already been killed once. I lost my daughter, my wife, everything! Now I have a second chance to do things right. I’ve developed a connection with Kimoura stronger than anything I’ve ever felt, and you're telling me I have to give that up to what? Save a world that’s done it’s damnedest to rip me apart at every turn? No, damn you and damn that very notion!”

  Avery gave Roy a slow nod, sliding her hands down to his bare shoulders. It was in that moment the void adept realized neither of them wore clothing any longer, their bodies laid bare to the stars.

  Floating naked and alone in the vastness of space, Avery pulled her body into his. “So, it’s love you’ll choose? Then I pray the realm finds another way to escape the darkness, and that you find a way to escape the sorrow that lies in your path...”

  Suddenly the starlight around them grew brighter, blinding Roy’s vision and drowning out the protests he couldn’t seem to force from his lips. And just like that... it was over.

  Roy blinked, only to find himself lying atop a simple woven blanket. He was no longer floating amongst the stars, nor was he in the company of the exotic soulgazer. No, pressed against his body was the dozing form of Kimoura.

  “Roy... you ok?” she asked, dozing in and out of sleep.

  He nodded slowly, trying to adjust to his surroundings. “Y-yeah.... but what happened. Where are we?”

  Kimoura raised her head off his chest and gave him a puzzled look as blue-green hair fell into her face. “What do you mean? Avery and her clan gave us a place to rest for the night.”

  “N-no darkbeasts?” Roy muttered, his mind still jarred from the ordeal.

  Kimoura frowned. “Jakki and Zyr collected some nearby resources. They managed to throw together a temporary rune to mask our auras for the night. You were there. Roy... are you ok?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Roy lied before resting his head back on the blanket. In truth, his mind was racing. Had his conversation truly happened? And why did his memory of the previous night feel like such a blur, like he was wading through an inescapable fog within his mind’s eye?

  “Are you sure?” Kimoura prodded. Before Roy could respond, she shifted her weight atop of him, aligning her face with his own. Suddenly, his confusion began to melt away as he felt her body pressed into his. He could feel the firmness of her muscles, the softness of her breasts, the gentle touch of her hair on his face that reminded him of lilacs and morning dew.

  In that instance, he let go of all the confusion, all of the fear, and allowed himself to fully embrace the
moment. And for at least a brief period of time... all seemed right in the realm.

  ****

  When Roy awoke the next morning, he found himself oddly renewed. His body was fresh, his mind was clear and his spirit churned inside him like a dormant tempest ready to be unleashed. The others seemed equally rejuvenated, thankful for a night of rest without the worry of waking up in the jaws of a darkbeast. However, despite his rest, one thing was still nagging at the void adept’s mind... had he truly spoken with Avery the night previous?

  When she entered the room his answer quickly became apparent.

  The soul gazer walked in, moving with grace as her sunlight hair flowed over the straps of her simple dress. As she strode by her gaze met Roy’s and for the briefest of moments, he felt like he was frozen in time. In that look they shared he learned everything that he needed to know. Whether she had invaded his dreams or if they’d actually spoken didn’t matter, but what she had said... well, it was most certainly the truth. Soon a choice would lie before him, one that would have implications far greater than he could fathom… and he had no idea how to make it.

  “We ready to get goin?” Kimoura asked, stretching her arms as light aura danced from her fingertips to her shoulders.

  “Yes!” Jakki replied. “Adventure, peril and imminent danger await!” The felyne had undergone a bit of a personal transformation since they’d departed Shadowreach. Sure, he still had the innate desire to witness bloodshed that had been bred into his very cells, but he’d also come to appreciate some of life’s finer things... thrilling adventure, delicious food and good company.

  After taking a few moments to collect themselves, the group of adepts followed Avery to the outskirts of the village, bidding her a very bittersweet fair well. In fact, the group’s tone had even grown somber, leading the void adept to believe that he wasn’t the only one touched by the woman’s strange powers.

  As Roy and Kimoura began to gallop away atop the back of his cryofox, he turned and met the light adept’s gaze. “Last night, did she-“

  “Shhhhhh,” Kimoura interrupted, pressing a pair of fingers up to Roy’s lips. “Zyr may be a skeptic, but my master was a firm believer in the power of the soul gazers. He always said that their words, whether they pertain to your past, present, or future, are for your ears and yours alone.

  Roy sighed. “But what if I don’t like what she said?”

  Kimoura smiled at him, masking another emotion that she wasn’t quite ready to show. “Then you tell destiny that you have other plans, and you fight like Hell to make them happen.”

  It was Roy’s turn to smile, unable to help but admire the strength in the woman’s response. “Well, that’s just what I plan on doing.”

  Chapter 17

  Of Premonitions and Dragon Gods

  Bahamut’s Observatory, above the realm of Eon

  Zekefreid the Sky Shadow stood atop Bahamut’s observatory, a look of astonishment written onto the herald’s pale, angular face. “Bahamy, are you seeing this?”

  From atop his shimmering onyx perch, the dragon god Bahamut let out the slightest of bellows, causing Zekefreid to shake so violently that he nearly fell off his platform and into the endless black.

  With a smirk, Zeke adjusted his posture and straightened his lavish cloak. “Forgive me, almighty dragon god, lord of the stars, skies, and so on and so forth. But pleeeeaaase, tell me you see what I’m seeing.”

  The dragon god narrowed his eyes, manipulating the translucent control panel in front of him until a vision appeared in the observatory’s portal... a vision of Roy and the others making their trek across Eon. “So, the outsider makes his way to the ivory castle with unlikely allies at his side. But what of the others...” Bahamut shifted the controls once more, bringing up a vision of an airship tearing through the clouds.

  Zekefreid grinned. “There they are. The martyr, the judge, and oh, even the lass with the darkbeast powers made it out!”

  “The deviant...” Bahamut said, his starlit gaze studying the group intently. In truth, the dragon god held far more interest in the coming days than he had in many moons. His followers were en route to the ivory castle, a place the mortals often referred to as… the pinnacle.

  Sitting high atop one of the realm’s tallest mountains, the pinnacle served as a monument to some of Bahamut’s most devout followers. In the second age, it served as a fortress to his son, the Demi-god Barahget. From the pinnacle, Barahget waged his father’s war against the forces of darkness, eventually allying with the other dragon gods and forming a mighty council of claws. Soon, the second age came to an end and the remaining Demi-gods were called back to the heavens, leaving the mortals to carry on their struggle against the veil. However, Barahget’s ivory castle remained, shrouded in wind and snow.

  The third age rolled on and those who knew the location of the pinnacle were lost to memory, turning the once great fortress into a mere legend. As time passed, a resilient guild of warriors known as the steel brotherhood began to explore the vast unknown, in search of a way to put a permanent end to the threat of the veil. That is when one of their scouts discovered it... covered in ice and snow, the ivory castle, the hall of the council of claws... the pinnacle.

  The brotherhood scouts rushed back to the guildhall with information regarding the pinnacle’s whereabouts, sharing it with the Bonaduce family in hopes that the secrets sealed within could sway the balance of power between light and dark. Then came the bounty of blades and the fall of the brotherhood.

  The knowledge of the pinnacle was nearly lost... except the patron of the brotherhood, Tiberius Bonaduce, passed along the location of the pinnacle to his heirs. They carried that knowledge with them, skeptical of its existence as they sought to find ways to survive on their own. However, left with no other options and desperate to save the lives of his friends, the youngest Bonaduce, Remley sent his companions on a path to the ivory castle hidden in the mountains…. A risky gambit from the man in red.

  “My benevolent lord of flame, would you mind scrolling to the east just a bit?” Zekefreid requested, peering through the portal as it followed the airship slicing through the clouds.

  Bahamut nodded then manipulated a dial on his translucent panel, shifting their view eastward. There, hidden beneath a layer of shadow, another group was making its way through Eon’s skies.

  “It appears the disciples of darkness make their way to the ivory castle as well,” Bahamut bellowed.

  “And that’s good?” Zekefreid asked.

  Bahamut nodded, causing a sudden turbulence in the air around him. “When the outsider arrives at the pinnacle he will face a grave challenge and suffer deep losses, but through those challenges, he will find the conviction needed to become one of my greatest followers...

  “He’s destined to be your next champion, then?” Zekefreid suggested, a wry grin forming on his face.

  Bahamut merely blinked, giving Zekefreid the ever slightest form of acknowledgment. “History will be written in the ivory castle once more and when the dust settles... the age of dragons will begin anew.”

  ****

  Wrath’s inky black cloak danced in the wind as he soared over Eon, the city of Shadowreach now a mere memory at his back. As crazy as it was, the shadow adept had left the city in pursuit of a rogue airship that made its escape during An’Habar’s rampage... an airship that he was certain carried the traitor Varyon Risen.

  The fates of Wrath and Varyon seemed destined to cross, regardless of their allegiance. During Wrath’s siege of the Steel Brotherhood, Varyon had stood as one of the last remaining defenders of the guild. Foolishly, Wrath had underestimated the man and for that, he lost his eye. However, the shadow adept repaid Varyon by running him through with his sword… but not before the fledgling adept had caught the eye of Jeryn Blackstar.

  Soon Varyon was revived, brought back from the underworld by the undying wraith... a divine power that Wrath thought he himself would receive. Afterward, Varyon’s mind was erased and
his natural prowess was put to use as Jeryn sought to mold him into the perfect killer.

  Wrath found himself resentful of the dark guild’s rising star. In fact, he found joy in seeing the man killed and resurrected... the anguish, the deterioration of Varyon’s mind each time the wraith brought him back. And yet, to see such power wasted on a mere spirin...

  As time passed, Varyon’s abilities grew and his unwavering loyalty to the spider guild was quickly cemented. Even sooner was his position solidified as Blackstar’s protege... that is, until he crossed paths with Remley Bonaduce.

  Soon his allegiance was reverted. And as quickly as Varyon came, he was just as soon marked for death by the spider guild, now an exile of the darkness. Wrath saw this as a chance to return to prominence in the spider guild, to reclaim his spot beside Blackstar as his rightful second. And he had, but to Wrath, something felt... different, as if somehow their relationship had been soured. The thousand-legged spiders were a cutthroat organization, and Jeryn liked to keep his underlings firmly under his boot... but Wrath was different! He was fiercely loyal. He was Blackstar’s confidant, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t more than a mere failure away from losing everything.

  Was that truly the things were supposed to be? Were the dark gods truly that foolish that they’d see their own followers eradicated on a whim?

  Ultimately, Wrath resigned to believe that as his truth... that he would give everything he had to the darkness only to one day succumb to it.

  With no other way forward, Wrath continued his duties, tracking Varyon and the others to Shadowreach before aiding in the city’s ultimate takeover. Much to his displeasure, he joined the spirikai of the allied dark guilds and led an assault that left death and destruction in his wake. And after that... he was once again relegated to the bottom of Blackstar’s boot. But as the lord of the spider guild was tasked with another threat, Wrath saw something... he felt something.