13: Create An Immortal?

In the basement, on the platform where the Echelons of Etheloria - elite individuals, elders, guardians, and warriors - were gathered, they were immersed in a serious discussion. Silence enveloped the platform just as the High Priest finished speaking.

All five of the other guardians sitting beside him turned their heads towards him and were looking at him with a questioning expression. The same can be said about the elders and others who were left speechless upon hearing what the High Priest said.

Produce an immortal? Has the High Priest gone nuts? If it were feasible to create immortality, wouldn't everyone among them already be immortal? This was what most of those who were left speechless were thinking as they glared at the High Priest.

"Do you really mean we can create an immortal? Is that even possible? "Or are you just spewing unreasonable things because old age has taken its toll on you?" asked the Elder, who had spoken earlier. He had successfully broken the silence on the platform; however, there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

The High Priest glared at him with disgust. "I will let it slide today. But next time you spout such nonsense in front of me, I will put you in your place. What do you take me for?!" He roared, anger clearly etched on his face.

The others gulped down, their faces filled with fear, as they saw the annoyed High Priest. One thing the old geezer despised was being called 'old' by others, and they were well aware of the consequences of getting on the back book of a sorcerer. They can be the worst enemy anyone can have, just like the immortal sorcerer who had plunged their land into a plague.

"Whatever I say, just know that I had already thought it out before saying it out. I reason with my head and not my ass!" The High Priest exclaimed again.

"It's okay now... Let's get down to what we are discussing... Please, High Priest, can you tell us how we can actually 'create an immortal being capable of matching the immortal sorcerer?'" Doger, one of the elders and guardians, said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Doger continued, "We all know here that only the Book of Immortality is capable of granting immortality to a cosmic mage. After Zamon gained immortality from it, he died without transferring the essence of immortality back to the tome. So, it is merely a book now, with nothing extraordinary.

"Nonetheless, we also know that the High Priest here is our beacon of knowledge and wisdom. So it's only right that we listen to what he has to say."

The other elders, guardians, and elites nodded in affirmation of what Doger had said, including the elder who provoked the High Priest. Only the Templar warriors seemed to not be contributing, as they stood behind the others. The Templar warriors were a group of five, including Oscar, the Supreme Commander, who was also seated among the guardians.

The High Priest, noticing that they were now more receptive to his words, cleared his throat and rose to his feet, holding his staff. "I spoke about producing an immortal because I am aware of an alternative method to achieve it, aside from obtaining the Book of Immortality," he announced. This revelation left the others even more perplexed this time around as they exchanged glances with one another before turning their attention back to the High Priest.

"Is there such a thing? Then why haven't you used it to become immortal yourself?" asked one of the elites among them. The man was popularly known in Etheloria because he was the owner of the Weapons Pavilion, where every templar armor-men obtained their armor and weapons.

"It was a myth that my grandfather told me," the High Priest simply replied. His grandfather! They all knew about him. He was renowned in history as the only Aetherian who caught the interest of the celestial beings and was sent to serve them in the celestial realm. However, that was all the recorded history about him. Nobody knew if he was still alive or not.

"Have you met your grandfather, the Great Guzu?" The first Elder, who had provoked the High Priest earlier, said. The shock was evident not only in his face but also in the tone of his voice.

"Yes, how did you think I became so wise and knowledgeable? He once took me away when I was a student and personally instructed and coached me on enchantments... Anyway, let's get back to what we were saying.

"According to him, the Book of Immortality, which had been in our Temple for thousands of years, was taken from a distant location outside of Etheloria. The tome was created using the essence of the God of Light. However, it was not the only thing that was created by this god to grant immortality. In fact, anything created with a part of a god is capable of making someone immortal," he paused as he scanned the perplexed faces of the others on the platform. However, it wasn't just a look of shock that was etched on their faces; most of them had a hint of greed evident as if they were eagerly waiting to hear what he was about to say next.

"There was an elixir brewed with the celestial core of the God of Light, which was marked on a map he gave me. That is a method to create another immortal, who is significantly more powerful than even Zamon, as the celestial core is undoubtedly more potent than the essence of the god.

"However... Nobody knew anything about the location of the elixir. And even the most powerful cosmic mages cannot access the elixir..."

"Why?" Azura asked immediately.

"I don't really know. Like I told you, I thought it was all a fantasy and a mythical tale. I never asked him why or who could actually consume the elixir. I started believing it all after witnessing Zamon's successful transformation into an immortal, solely through the power of the book of immortality..."

"Then what do we do now?" asked Oscar.

"The map indicating the whereabouts of the elixir may have been lost when Zamon destroyed the temple. The Book of Immortality... it holds unparalleled knowledge that cannot be found anywhere else. It might provide us with clues about who is eligible to consume the elixir and where we should begin our search. However, it's still in the chamber where Zamon's statue was built." His eyes lit up instantly as he said the final sentence.

"Wasn't Elara's bracelet the only artifact that can open the stone gate of the chamber?" Apphira chimed in.

"Alvan... Where is Alvan? The bracelet was given to him. So, we need to find him and retrieve the tome from the chamber."

The search for Alvan started in the basement. Kael was summoned to find him, and he went to the basement section where Alvan's students had gathered to check on him. Perhaps he went to spend some time with his students…

***

Meanwhile, in another section of the underground basement, illuminated by a crimson light. Two people who were stranded and trapped within the chamber had frustration evident on their faces, with a hint of fear, especially the female.

Alvan had tried his best to open the stone gate, but it wasn't yielding. He even wanted to use terrakinesis, just like he saw his father use it, to burrow his way out of the chamber, neglecting the door. At first, he hesitated because it might implicate them, but after giving it some thought. He decided to do it. If they were caught, he could tell them that it was his mother's bracelet that led him there. However, when he tried to manipulate the earth element, he discovered that his ethereal and cosmic energy had abandoned him.

At this critical moment of all times, how can his powers disappoint him? What's more, Emelda is useless in this situation. She is a variant elemental mage versed in plant manipulation and control. What can her vines, tendrils, or roots do in this situation? All they could do was wait for Alvan's power to return to him, or perhaps the High Priest would come looking for them. However, to Alvan, the latter seemed implausible.

"I'm here with you. Don't be afraid, okay? My powers will return in no time," said Alvan, trying his best to comfort Emelda. Her head was leaning on his shoulder as they sat close to each other on the bare floor.

"With you by my side, what can I fear? Even though your powers aren't steady, you should still be able to identify anything with your special senses while I tie them up," Emelda said, fiddling with some strands of his silver hair as she intermittently sniffed its scent.

Alvan was enjoying every bit of it; he always enjoyed her company the most. However, he decided to occupy himself with something so he wouldn't feel bored in this silent chamber.

"Can you fetch me that tome? Perhaps it contains some illustrations that I can look at to keep myself occupied." Alvan pleaded with Emelda. She simply nodded and reached out her hand towards the statue. A black tendril shot out from her hand, heading towards the tome and coiling around it. She retracted her hand and the tendril receded to her before Alvan grabbed the tome. Emelda returned to her position on Alvan's shoulder and began fiddling with his hair again.

Alvan became immersed in flipping through the thick pages of the tome. Just as he expected, there were illustrations drawn on the tome. He will just glance at it before flipping past it until his eyes land on a specific illustration that has an annotation written in a language he can read.

The illustration depicted a small spherical object inside a vial-shaped container, accompanied by the annotation: "Elixir of Immortality."

Instantly, Alvan raised his head to share his discovery with Emelda. However, he was met with her face staring directly at him, too close that he could feel her breath brushing across his face. He froze in place as the scent of Emelda's hair wafted across his nostrils. It was fragrant and hypnotizing, and he didn't realize his face inching closer to hers.

Emelda remained in the same position she was, her eyes locked onto his. As Alvan's face inched even closer to her succulent, rosy lips, it felt as if time had slowed down. Seconds seemed like hours for Alvan as he felt his heart racing against his ribcage.

However, before their lips connected, his ear picked up the approaching footsteps of someone walking along the passageway…