Book 4, chapter 6

Zee swung her sword through the air, dancing through familiar sword forms. The air hummed, as her sword created a ringing melody, the song of steel.

It was a series of sword forms taught to her by her grandpa, and if performed correctly could create the most beautiful notes.

Over the past year, she had definitely improved, yet, it was still not good enough. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her muscles burning, as she seamlessly transitioned from defense to attack.

All the while, several small shards of metal hummed around her like angry willow jacks, moving with her will. Her evolved sword was proving to be more than she could have hoped for.

With a simple mental tug, she could break off pieces of the blade, creating a wall of death around her. Or she could only break off one or two and have a full-length sword aside from a few inches.

One of the shards of metal scraped across the stone courtyard loudly, and she cursed. The damned things were proving difficult to keep track of, especially when she was practicing complex sword forms.

If not for her omnidirectional sensory skill, it would have been near impossible to keep track even two shards of metal.

Metal sparked loudly as the two shards collided mid air, bouncing off course. Her heart lurched in her chest, as she was forced to desperately dodge out of the way.

Rolling, she narrowly avoided being gutted by one of the ricocheting pieces of razor metal. Panting, she scrambled to her feet, her brows furrowed. That was another issue she had to deal with. Just because she could control the razor-sharp metal swirling around her, it didn't mean it couldn't hurt her.

That was why she was only using two pieces of metal from her sword. She was much less likely to severely injure herself with only a couple of pieces of metal to focus on.

Calming her breathing, she settled back into a low stance, focusing on the metal shards around her. With a bit of mental focus, she could speed them up, or change their angle.

But, was that all? On a hunch, Zee infused her sword with spirit echo. The blade rippled with dark blue energy, releasing a pale mist.

A smile split her face, as her eyes locked onto the two chunks of razor metal hovering in the air. Both of them radiated the same dark blue energy.

Zee couldn't help but grin. That would increase the lethality of those shards of metal immensely. How interesting.

Maybe her other skills could affect the blades as well. Her body turned into a light blue mist, and much to her surprise, the chunks of metal no longer struck anything. They swirled through the air but passed right through the stone walls and floor.

Well, that was a pain, but not the end of the world. She had also feared that pieces of her blade might be left behind when she used her movement skill, but that didn't appear to be the case.

For some reason, they were transported with her. A troubling thought filled her mind. What if she accidentally teleported into a cramped room, and all that metal was racing around her at a blinding speed?

She might accidentally turn herself into chopped-up meat salad if she wasn't careful. Zee spent most of the day testing her evolved sword, as well as her spark of ebb and flow.

It was a shame that she didn't have any opponents to fight In the rented-out courtyard. There were training rooms she could rent that were staffed by people who could summon monsters to fight. It sounded really cool, too bad Zee was a little too broke to afford it.

She had to settle for a simple courtyard for the day. Given the damage to the inn, she was worried she might accidentally cause more undo harm if she practiced on the street.

To be fair, she was more worried about the harm to her empty wallet, than the harm to some furniture. Zee trained, putting her sword through its paces until the sun began to set, and they kicked her out.

She wasn't too mad though. After a long day of physically demanding training, she was ready for something good to eat. Skirting the edge of the street, she made her way down the sidewalk, eventually arriving at a building that looked like a warehouse.

The building was square, with white paint, and black shingles, matching the nearby buildings at two stories tall. The building was mostly empty at the moment, aside from a short woman with mousy brown hair, working on several metal plates set out on the floor.

Zee glanced around the warehouse, noting that several large pallets of goods had been delivered since last she was here. When Yukna didn't acknowledge her, she walked over, getting a look at the various metal plates, carefully laid out across the concrete floors.

Yukna looked deep in thought, as she studied some drawings on a clipboard she was holding in one hand.

"What are you making?" Zee asked, narrowing her eyes at the odd formation of etchings. It looked somehow familiar, though she couldn't tell from where.

"Ahh, nothing to worry about, it's just a prototype I have been working on. If I can figure it out, it might be able to help Dern recover," Yukna said offhandedly.

Zee cocked her head. "Help Dern, how?" Zee asked, suddenly very interested.

Yukna shrugged. "I wouldn't get too excited, I doubt will work. I am attempting to copy the ritual Dern was using to steal souls from monsters," Yukna said.

Zee gave the woman a wide-eyed stare. "Why didn't you tell me," Zee asked.

Yukna sighed, eying the densely covered metal plates on the floor with no small amount of frustration.

"Because I didn't want you to get your hopes up. I am trying to figure out this damned ritual from memory. Honestly, I doubt it will ever work," Yukna said.

Zee gave the shorter woman a crushing hug, "I don't care Yukna. The fact that you are trying is what really matters," Zee said.

Yukna let out a tired laugh, "I want Dern to come back as well. I miss him," Yukna said.

Zee released the hug and took a few steps back, rubbing the moisture from her eyes. "So, is there anything I can do to help?" Zee asked.

Yukna smiled, "You could buy me some dinner, I am starving," Yukna said.

Zee laughed. "Sure, why not, as long as you are paying, I am a bit broke at the moment," Zee said sheepishly.

"Hah, fair enough. Let's go get something to eat, it's my treat," Yukna said.

She smiled. "Thanks, Yuky, you are a lifesaver." Zee gestured towards the pallets in the corner. "What are those for?"

Yukna brightened. "They are just a bunch of supplies I need to properly set up my shop. I need workbenches, specialized tools, furniture, and equipment to move everything around. Some of the arrays I am going to be building for Rin's ships are not exactly light, and might get unstable if placed in a spatial storage," Yukna said, practically bouncing with excitement.

"That's interesting. Tell me more," Zee said.

Over the next week, things were fairly quiet. Yukna was getting set up in her new shop, more supplies arriving by the day, whilst Zee trained and relaxed.

Zee mostly practiced getting used to the increased weight of her sword as well as its new function to split into pieces. At night while cultivating she focused on her third inner gate, working away at opening it.

It was going fairly slow, considering she had to send a constant stream of energy she cultivated into the heart of the planar space inside her inner world.

At least that was looking steady, and she no longer felt an ominous buildup of pressure in her mind. Still, that didn't remove the dread she felt knowing that the asshole ghost was getting energy whenever she fed the heart.

Greg and Bastion were doing something much less fun and much more smelly than training. She had finally taught them her family's cultivation technique, to help cleanse their bodies of impurities and finally allow them to rank up to E grade.

It was a long time coming and should keep them out of it for nearly a week. As for why she had delayed this long, that was mostly because they just couldn't risk half the team weak and unable to fight.

And besides, they hadn't quite reached the peak of F grade, so there hadn't been any rush. Now it was only a matter of time until both Bastion and Greg could recompress their auras, and achieve the rank up to E grade.

In the meantime, they would both be exhausted from lack of sleep, as their bodies grew accustomed to rest through cultivation. With Greg and Bastion out of it, recovering, and Yukna busy setting up her shop as well as some work for Rin Zee didn't have much to do.

Her mind kept drifting back to that ritual Yukna was working on in secret, to help Dern. Maybe she could use this free time to search for ways to help Dern.

If she understood rituals a bit better, she could help, instead of feeling helpless. With that in mind, she asked around, finally arriving at the Haster grand library.

The name sounded a bit pretentious, but she quickly changed her mind when walking into the library's wide atrium.

She looked around, startled by the shelves of books stacked nearly a hundred feet above her, stacked until they reached the base of the vaulted ceiling.

A book rattled from a shelf nearby, but instead of falling, it darted across the room, disappearing down a hallway. Another book flitted in, and darted up to a slot high in the rafters, settling gently into an open spot.

Curious, Zee focused on her spatial ripple skill, and almost passed out, staggering from the mental overload. Tens of thousands of strings crisscrossed the library, disappearing down hallways, into the roof, each of them hooked to a book.

For a few seconds, the sheer number of strings was overwhelming, until she gradually was able to tune them out. Interest peaked, Zee decided to follow the strands, entering a narrow alcove that lead deeper into the sparsely staffed library.

It was odd that no one was at the front door to stop people from simply entering and stealing a book, or worse damaging them. Squinting, she traipsed deeper into the library, following the thickest strands of energy, certain that they led to the source.

She walked down the seemingly endless hallways for several minutes, down several flights of stairs, and all the while those strands grew thicker.

She passed several people along the way but was too focused to pay any attention to them or the increasingly dusty tombs around her. Eventually, she reached a part of the library that had very little lighting, the building dust on the floor unmarred by boots in years.

Descending a steep staircase, she was finally met with an obstacle, a thick metal door blocking her path. It was locked, but no one was around, and a simple metal door was no deterrent for her.

Her body turned into mist and she phased right through the door, into a well-lit bedroom, with a small single-person bed, stacks of books, and an old man sipping some piping hot tea.

To say the man looked ancient was an understatement, looking as though he would drop dead of old age at any moment. He looked up from his dusty book, taking another sip of tea as though people showing up in his room unannounced was an everyday occurrence.

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds as they studied each other. Something nagged at her mind, as she tried to rectify the conflicting information she was getting.

He looked so old, so frail, and yet, he was the center, the sole connecting point for all of those strands of energy.

What's more, she couldn't sense his aura at all, which was incredibly troubling. Given the power he displayed, and then paired with the fact she couldn't sense him at all she was led to a simple conclusion.

This old man was no mere D ranker, no, he had to be at the celestial grade, around the same power as her grandfather maybe stronger.

"What can I help you with young miss?" He asked, his voice soft and raspy as though he didn't speak much.

Knowing she was on thin ice, Zee decided to channel her inner noble. Being courteous couldn't hurt.

"I am terribly sorry for the intrusion, I took a wrong turn. If you will excuse my rude interruption I will be going," Zee said, turning to leave.

"Wait," He ordered, his raspy tone filled with undeniable pressure.

She froze, her hair rising on end, her body refusing her commands to move," Yes?" She asked, swallowing down her fear.

"What are you looking for, maybe I can help you?" He asked, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Just some books to help a friend," Zee said, unwilling to divulge more.

The old man hummed softly, tapping the brim of his cup.

"I don't mean to pry, but are you referring to that Ashary dying of starvation inside your body?" He asked.

"How do you know about that?" Zee asked, her fear replaced by anger at his intrusion on her privacy.

The old man raised a calming hand.

"I did not mean to snoop at your secrets. But the moment you entered my library I already knew. The same way I know about the other spirit you are linked to, as well as the fractured inner world. I still don't know how that is even possible, even after seeing it. What a fascinating girl," he said.

Zee narrowed her eyes at the old man. He had gleaned so much in such a short time. Her expression quickly changed to excitement as she realized something. This old man might have a way to help her.

"Hey, old man, do you know how to fix my problem?" Zee asked.

He raised one wispy eyebrow, "There is nothing to fix. From what I can see, there is a frail balance. You and those other two spirits are too weak to contain even a fragmented inner world for long. Eventually, that balance will fail when the Ashary dies and the inner world will tear you apart," he said, his toner matter of fact.

Her jaw worked soundlessly a few times as she mulled over his words.

"Do you know of a solution, anything to help me?" Zee asked hopefully.

"I have no idea." He replied.

Her shoulders slumped a pit forming in her stomach.

"So, it's hopeless? I am going to die?" Zee asked.

The old man laughed, a raspy sound that grated on her nerves.

"If you plan on just giving up based on the words of a stranger you might as well go lie down and just die," He said harshly.

Zee was taken aback by his chastising words.

"But, you are strong, and no doubt older than dirt. Surely, if you don't know how to fix my issue, then I won't be able to find it," Zee said.

He snorted in amusement. "What a cheeky brat.... Just because i am old doesn't mean I know everything. It's why I have millions of books in my library, I can't possibly remember everything," He replied.

Zee straightened her back, "So, you will help me?" She asked.

He snorted, raising his hand, just as a thin book fell through a Shute in the roof. The book settled into his knarred hand with a soft thud, dust puffing off the ancient cover.

"No, I will not. You can do the reading yourself," He said placing the book on his desk and pushing it towards her.

She tentatively picked up the book, scanning the cracked leather cover, its pages yellowed from age.

"Read this, once you are done then come back, I will give you another one after it's finished." He said.

Zee turned to leave, sensing she was dismissed. The old man cracked a mischievous smile, visible from the corner of her eye.

"Oh, one small thing. Some of the rituals in that book are heretical. If you are caught using any of them you may be executed for heresy," the old man said.

With those lovely words in mind, she left the way she came, right through the door. Heeding the old geezer's word she put the tomb inside her spatial storage, before leaving the vast library.

She couldn't bring herself to stay in the library any longer, knowing that she was in that man's domain.

No wonder this place felt so eerie. The Haster grand library was being monitored and controlled by someone at the celestial grade or higher, a being who if prompted could probably wipe out the city of Verdant by himself.

While she walked the bustling streets, she wonder why someone so powerful was a mere librarian. Maybe that was just the cover for something else?

Or maybe he was retired and just looking for a quiet place to relax for a few centuries. Either way, it was a curious thought. Maybe she could ask him once she was finished reading that book.

Given that the book was in an ancient tongue, Zee had to buy an array from the Glimmer Shroud trading house. It was simple and relatively cheap, still, it should be effective to translate the script.

It was similar to the bangle she used when communicating though not quite the same. Returning to Yukna's shop, Zee sat down in a corner and began reading. Turns out, the book was rather enlightening.

The book depicted rituals, as well as hundreds of different basic energy constructs, most of which made little sense to Zee. Even still, she poured over the book, doing her best to take in everything.

The entire book, could be summed up as basic rituals for dummies. Zee furrowed her brows, placing a book mark near the end, and shutting it.

She was getting a headache from reading something with such a patronizing tone to the words.

It was as if the author of the book thought that everyone reading it was an idiot, and did their best to let them know of that fact.

Even Dern might be less condescending if he wrote a book which was saying something.

She let out a weary sigh, wondering if she was wasting her time.

Noting her look, Yukna walked over, "You look strangely disappointed, I take it that rituals are not your thing," Yukna asked.

Zee gently set the aged book on the floor, and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not that. I just fail to see why I should be focusing on these boring rituals when they have nothing to do with helping Dern," Zee said.

Yukna smiled. " it's more about getting a solid foundation. These rituals are basic. If you can't understand them and how they work, you have no business attempting rituals that deal with something as complicated as the soul," Yukna said gently.

"Do I really need to learn them, can't you help me?" Zee asked.

Yukna's lips drew to a thin line. "Rituals are not the same as arrays, they are two separate branches of magic. If you want to help Dern, you will need to learn how to make the rituals yourself," Yukna said.

Her shoulders slumped. Yukna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I will help as much as I can, but learning to make a ritual to help Dern will mostly rely on you,"

Zee sighed and smiled up at the woman. "Thanks, Yukna, for all of your help," Zee replied.

"No problem, it's what friends are for. Now suck it up, and finish that book. Once you are done we can go get some dinner," Yukna replied with a playful smile.

Zee laughed, and picked up the ancient tomb, flipping to her marked page. Yukna was right. This was her problem, not Yukna's. In the end, it was Zee's responsibility to fix it.

Even if it meant spending hours pouring over text written by an author that made her feel a welling desire to punch someone in the face.

The next day, having completed the first book, she returned to the Haster grand library, following the thin strands of energy back to their source.

As before, the vast rows of bookshelves astounded her. So many books, enough to create a labyrinth that she was only able to navigate by following strands of energy deep inside.

The thick metal door at the base of the shadowy staircase was still locked, so she let herself in.

The old man looked up as she appeared with a puff of mist, a frown tugging at his lips.

"Back already?" He asked, setting down his book.

"You almost found disappointed old man," Zee replied, placing the crusty old tome on his desk.

"That's because a pesky brat keeps interrupting my reading," he grumbled.

Zee ignored his insulting tone," So, what's the next one I should read?" She asked.

"Did you even finish this one?" The old man asked.

She nodded. "I don't know who wrote it, they were an asshole," Zee said.

The old man grinned exposing a row of perfectly white teeth.

"Ahh, yes… I was a bit of a know-it-all in my younger days." He said musingly.

"You wrote that?" Zee accused.

"Yes, it's not my best work, but it should be perfect for a complete novice like yourself," He replied.

Zee forcibly held herself back from saying something rude. She had to remind herself that this seemingly harmless old man was a monster in disguise.

"So, which book do you suggest I read next," Zee asked.

The book she placed on the table hovered up into the air, disappearing into a hole in one wall, just as another book came out of a different Shute.

So many strands of energy at once, how did he keep track of it all? The old man picked up his own book and went back to reading, a clear dismissal.

She picked up the paperback book after it thudded atop his desk, this one twice as thick as the first.

He peered over the edge of his book at her, his eyes hard. "There is a basic first-tier ritual at the end of that book, don't come back until you can properly perform the ritual," he said.

With those words echoing in her mind, she left the library, eager to see what sort of ritual she would need to master.