Chapter 19: The Source of Darkness

It took Eli five months to reach the northern side of the forest, where a wooden castle made of the same materials as the pillar in the safe zone stood. The castle struggled to contain the massive dark energy seeping through the cracks, and Eli immediately understood why the corruption was getting worse. He walked towards the sealed doors and caressed the circular lock mechanism before embedding the crown in the keyhole. The light element from the crown turned the cogs, unclenching the unsealing mechanism. After a few minutes, the space between the door was wide enough for Eli to slip in, and it closed right behind him as he entered.

As Eli stepped inside the castle, the walls plated in gold and the inscriptions on them were carved intricately, glinting in the dim light. The air was thick with the pungent scent of corrupted energy, making it difficult for him to breathe. He followed the straight corridor, his footsteps echoing against the walls, until he reached the massive hall with a podium at the center. The inscriptions on the walls were designed to contain the source of the dark energy corrupting the forest. Despite the overwhelming corruption, Eli pressed on, determined to complete his mission.

When he reached the podium, he saw an open casket with a familiar face sealed in ice. Gently caressing the frozen features of the man in the casket, Eli spoke softly to him. "You were a fool, Rayden. Your clan squandered your fame while abusing your descendant, the very people you sacrificed your life to save are actively working to destroy your legacy. I taught you so many things, but I never managed to sever your attachment to a mundane life. You cared too much for the ants. It's time for you to let go."

Eli's words were filled with both sadness and anger. He and Rayden had fought side by side during the millennia-old war against the dark beings. In their heroic momentum, Sovereign lightbringer Rayden had sealed the source of darkness in his body and buried himself inside the heathen's forest. But it was impossible to eliminate the enemy completely as the source of the corruption was indestructible.

The air around Eli crackled with energy, the sensation of the corrupted energy filling his lungs and body almost unbearable. But he was determined to finish what Rayden had started, and with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand.

Eli watched as the ice melted slowly, the sealed energy was rampaging at the idea of being free. The cold body began breaking down in light pieces until it materialized the remnant soul of Rayden. It smiled at Eli, meaning he agreed to the previous declaration. It extended its hand to connect with Eli's face but he could interact with the physical world no more. " Go,I will handle the rest" Eli said as the last vestige of his friend became more and more intangible.

Waiting for the right moment to strike the source of darkness pierced Eli's forehead in an attempt to possesses him. Eli offered no resistance letting the dark energy rampage in his body. He simply wore the golden crown and laid into the coffin before sealing all his senses.

The object implanted itself in his glabella and like a spider it spread its web across Eli's nervous system. After pumping his nervous system with corrupting energy, the conscious object aimed at his soul and memories for complete control. The instant it intruded Eli's Fate palace, a counter force emanating from the Ethereal anima obstructed its takeover. The simple-minded object responded to the provocation by irradiating a stronger aura. While it was focused on the competition for territory in the Fate palace many thin, purple-colored threads crept up to its vicinity before launching an attack in its blind spot. The cursed object understood it had been trapped, but it was completely restrained on all side before it could react.

Eli's materialized in his inner world , and grabbed the cursed object. For the first time in millions of years he held his first clue towards that place. The object was a flat hexagon shaped metallic piece. It was scribbled with millions of microscopic inscriptions Eli had never seen before, even with his millions years of experience.

As Eli's curiosity was sparked by the uncharted knowledge that he had discovered, he decided to exert his own corruption onto the object. Slowly, his materialized body divided on the vertical axis, liberating an infinite number of purple strands. These strands moved with a mind of their own, twirling and meshing around in inconspicuous manners before forming a holding platform that connected the Hexagon object to the fate palace.

Eli proceeded with a mind transfer, allowing part of his consciousness to enter into contact with the object. Suddenly, he found himself in a hollow, dark room, unable to see anything. He demanded that the owner of the voice show themselves, or he would erase their consciousness. After a few seconds, a child appeared before him, not older than four years old. The child wore bright red festive clothes, had a porcelain face, and clear black-colored eyes.

"What are you?" Eli asked.

"I am the seed of life," the child replied.

Eli's mind raced with questions, and he pressed for more information. "Why did you come here?"

"I am one of three seeds sent to find a champion," the child answered.

Eli continued to question the child for a few more minutes before finally declaring, "I will be the champion."

The child looked at him skeptically. "Your body is far too weak. You won't be able to handle it."

"I have my design," Eli replied. "Don't worry about it."

The child simply nodded in agreement.

Eli was apprehensive as he returned to his inner world, where the life seed was emitting an intense green glow and pulsating with waves of energy. He realized that his body could not contain the overwhelming amount of energy within the seed in its current state. However, he had a plan to solve the problem, but it involved risking his life to test his hypothesis.

In an instant, his body burst into flames as he willed it to happen. The casket containing his original body melted into a shimmering, liquid substance that dripped over him, covering his entire body in a slimy cocoon. His skin evaporated and his burning muscles slowly merged with the viscous liquid, forming a new malleable skin shell.

Taking advantage of this pliable new shell, Eli carefully engraved intricate patterns, line by line, with laser-like precision, covering his entire body in never-before-seen inscriptions. The inscriptions were similar to those on the life seed, and Eli believed that if the seed could contain such vast vitality, it was because of these inscriptions. He had turned himself into a container.

Once he was finished, he held the life seed in his hand and declared, "This is the moment of truth. Merge." The pulsating seed transformed into a dazzling ball of light and flew toward the immense and impassive Ethereal myriad dichotomy Anima. But the Behemoth allowed the light projectile to establish contact with him.

At the moment of contact, the life seed was absorbed into the Anima, triggering a series of blinding, flashing lights that filled Eli's inner world with vibrant hues. The once plain and white world was now filled with floating vitality, and the fate palace grew threefold in size as the Anima expanded exponentially.

Eli's body was filled with intense energy, his muscles and bloodstream bursting at the seams. Bloodshot eyes and a racing heart accompanied the sensation, causing him to expand until his muscles began to tear. Sensing he had reached his limit, he activated the containment array. The runes on his body glowed as the flow of vitality was redirected, bringing his expanding body under control.

Gradually, the containment runes guided his body to shrink until he resembled an eleven-year-old boy. As he took in his surroundings, Eli realized that his inner world was undergoing a tremendous change. His Ethereal Anima was unresponsive and cocooned by starlight, indicating that the merging process was still ongoing. Even more unexpected was the transformation of his previous two manifestation stars into death stars, devoid of any life or vitality. With his manifestation stars and anima now absent, he had no access to spiritual energy, leaving him reliant on his physical body until the fusion was complete.

After stretching his newly transformed body, Eli stepped down from the podium and made his way towards the exit. It had been a long journey, lasting over five months, but the rewards were worth the effort. Walking with a slight crookedness due to his oversized clothes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction with his current state

In the tranquility of the safe zone, Ezreal was gazing up at the shimmering stars when he was abruptly interrupted by the sudden appearance of two unit members at the totem. It was a common sight in the past half-year, but this time, they were heavily wounded. He leaped down from the pillar to confront them and inquire about the situation. Just as he landed, four more unit members appeared, all in a similar state. His voice became stern as he demanded to know what had occurred.

"We were attacked by the soul sect," one of them managed to gasp out. "How did you run into them?" Ezreal inquired. "We were hunting a thousand-year-old beast for two weeks, and when we finally killed it, they claimed it was their prey and ambushed us."