Resolve

As Rethys continued his walk back to Sevi's room, he passed from hallway to hallway, like he always had. Yet no matter how hard he tried to ignore them, his senses couldn't help but repeat to him the tale of this place. For his eyes had seen truth, and he couldn't look away now.

'This is too much.' He thought.

He had known before of the suffering that this place contained, but now it felt different, it felt real. Before, he believed Yvtar's fall to be an event of the distant past, one that he had to toil through but also one that had nothing to do with him.

But now, he knew that its sufferings remained, unaddressed, unanswered and unavenged. He was part of it now, and couldn't help but see it echoed all around him.

What were previously mere scratches on the stone walls by the wicked monsters of the catacombs were now seen for what they truly were, desperate attempts of the damned to stave away the madness. Most didn't make any sense, but those that did left an impression on him.

Pleas for help, to gods, kings and saviors, and Rethys could almost hear them through the ether. Names etched in the stone of the walls, hopeless attempts to remember. As well as counts of days, months, years, too many years. So much of it that the walls couldn't contain them, that this whole place couldn't contain any of it.

But what disturbed the young man the most was the realization that nothing they did amounted to anything. That in the end, they all lost themselves, no matter how hard they tried, how deeply they etched it into the stone around them and into themselves.

All of a sudden, the halls that surrounded him felt more suffocating than ever. He couldn't bear to stay here even a moment more.

He tried his best to steer his mind away, yet the weight of it all was ever-present. And unlike the Origin entity's interference that always gnawed at his mind, this couldn't be ignored, for it originated from his own self and all that was around him.

Eventually however, he arrived at an area devoid of any of the evidence of suffering, the dust-caked halls leading up to Sevi's room. The change in scenery helped Rethys take his mind off things somewhat and reach a semblance of clear thought.

'I need to get out of this place. Whatever the cost.' He concluded, deciding to toil harder than ever.

He didn't care at this point if the teleporter killed him, anything was better than staying in Yvtar.

"Anything..." He repeated Kithil's words in his mind, an unbreakable and dangerous resolve taking root in his mind, stronger than ever before.

Eventually his walk through dusty halls lead to a long corridor, and at its end, Rethys saw a familiar azure light. His mind tried to wonder about Sevi's also potentially-tragic origins, yet dismissed the thought as unnecessary.

"Welcome ba- Goodness Rethys what happened to you?!" Sevi asked in horror.

"The usual." He replied in a deadpan voice.

"Usual? Do you have any idea of your appearance now?"

"No." He replied succinctly as he tossed his satchel near his spot before approaching Sevi's blade and sitting on the floor.

They didn't exactly have mirrors lying around in the catacombs, not that Rethys would've cared even if he did see his current state. What he did know was that his clothes were even more tattered than before, with only his pants and leather shoes somewhat withstanding his stay in Yvtar.

"For ether's sake Rethys, your body is saturated with so much Malice that your skin turned pink. Your body is on the verge of bursting apart from it, only barely hanging on. Just what did you run into?" Sevi questioned.

"Oh, so that's what it did." Rethys noted to himself before beginning to explain his findings to Sevi, omitting his encounter with Kithil.

He told her of the mage creatures, the ritual wing and its strange properties, and his overall findings. He went over everything regarding his expedition there, figuring that he didn't find much that needed hiding.

"I see, the existence of these creatures is news to me, as that place is impervious to my senses. But to think that the cultists remain like this. Could it have been their choice or did their own machinations afflict them as well?" Sevi mused. "But regardless of that, the fact that they could resist your element remains the most interesting aspect."

"Yes it's very interesting but can I get a little help here?" Rethys sighed.

"Hm? Oh. I am afraid I cannot heal your wounds until the Malice ether suffused into your flesh subsides. Though for now, I can at least do this much."

As Sevi finished talking, Rethys felt a wave of the blood-red ether envelop him, and turning towards his left arm, saw it free from all the shards and splinters that were planted into his skin. The wounds didn't get healed however, which prompted his hand to begin bleeding again.

"Stabilize the bleeding by yourself for now. I will restore you fully once your body becomes ready again." Sevi declared.

"Alright." He responded as he reached into his pouch to grab his healing stones.

Once he was done applying healing to his wounds, Sevi saw fit to speak again.

"Your resilience astounds me. I understand that you have grown numb to it, what with the things you put yourself through, but even then it is impressive, even if it was in all the wrong ways."

"It's fine." He responded. "So any way to get through that place? I'll take anything you can give me at this point."

"I am afraid I cannot help you much with this." Sevi revealed. "Though the discovery of what lay there surely is surprising, it does not change what you must do to proceed with the teleporter plan. Finding the runic lexicon remains your goal if you wish to use it, and I have already pointed you towards all that I know of. The only thing I could think of that would help you would be ascending your soul core to becoming unbound."

"But you still haven't told me how to do that." Rethys grumbled.

"I have." Sevi replied.

"What you gave me didn't go anywhere." He raised his voice in anger. "

"It is the best I could give you considering the strange methods you practice. You do realize you use ether almost entirely differently from the rest of us mages."

Rethys didn't speak again, realizing the absurdity of his demands. His method of magic, after all, was to just feel it. It was through feeling and instinctive insight that he used ether, much to his chagrin.

It was great that Sevi's help got him to where he was, but he couldn't rely on her to do everything for him.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Do not worry, I understand your frustrations. If you continue at the rate of growth that you have displayed thus far, I am sure you would reach the unbound stage in but a year or two. An astronomically fast pace I might add." The trapped mage explained.

"A year or two..." Rethys repeated listlessly.

If his recent revelation taught him anything, it was the crushing weight of time and suffering, two elements that seemed to go hand in hand. Would he be able to withstand two whole years of being subjected to the pain of this place? All the while his senses grew stronger and more sensitive as his magic strengthened?

He shuddered at the thought.

"Is there really nothing you can do Sevi? Nothing at all?"

"What more can I ever do, dear student of mine? For you, I must be nothing more than a voice coming from a big sword." Sevi spoke regretfully. "And though my powers may appear great to your senses, they cannot extend beyond this room. Such is the way of things."

Hearing her words, Rethys had a thought take hold in his mind. He couldn't believe he was the one to suggest it, but went through with it regardless.

"I can release you... can't I?" He uttered.

"I suppose you can, yes." Sevi calmly stated. "With much effort and my guidance, you would be able to free this blade from its chains. Perhaps then, instead of bringing the runic lexicon to me, you would instead take me to it. My power would guarantee that we can thoroughly comb through the ritual rooms, regardless of its dwellers, and eventually find our query."

Rethys remained silent, almost being convinced by Sevi's plan already, but also realizing where she was going with this.

"But unfortunately, Rethys, that potentially very simple solution has a much simpler problem obstructing it."

"Which is?" He asked.

"It is that the level of strength you would need to actually be able to drag this blade around is far beyond you. You would need to be at least of the unbound level to merely be able to drag it across the floor. Its weight is such that I also cannot simply leverage my magic to attain mobility, and that mass is far too much for you. The last thing I would want, Rethys, is for this blade to be released from its chains only to drop on the ground and stay there, I would much rather remain in this position."

As Rethys heard the trapped mage's explanation, an idea sparked in his mind, and he didn't hesitate to voice it.

"But you're not trapped in the blade, your soul is in the gem, I mean I've seen you cast spells from it, not the sword. Can't I just disenchant the sword and release the gem from it?" He asked.

From what he had seen of Sevi's magic and what his senses told him, the gem seemed to house her in her entirety. He had seen that the sword was definitely magical in some capacity, but figured that she could still function without it.

Sevi herself remained silent, seemingly pondering the young man's suggestion. And silence reigned for a long while before she answered.

"I... do not know." She replied. "You may be able to do that with your unique element. If you can indeed separate my soulstone from the blade then we might be able to avoid having to drag around its unwieldy mass. But Rethys, are you sure you want to attempt such a thing?"

Rethys frowned, unsure of what she meant with her ominous question. Before his mind could wonder about it however, Sevi resumed talking.

"You have seen the strength of the enchantments binding this blade here. And even if you followed my instructions flawlessly, the sheer power of the magic in this room may react unexpectedly. That is not to mention the sword itself, after all it is a magic weapon, and weapon enchantments are special in that they are designed to resist outside influence. You have never used your magic on weapons, and it may take weeks or even months of rigorous work to successfully disenchant it."

Hearing her words, Rethys peered at the sword and tried to sense its enchantments, only to see that he could feel nothing resembling magic circles. The sword appeared to him as one singular mass of magic, reminiscent not of a soul, but a spell. He didn't know whether to interpret the sight as that of a spell or a collection of magic circles so intricate it appeared as such. Though judging by the movements of ether he could faintly feel within, it appeared to be the latter.

"Weeks are better than two years." He concluded regardless as he felt Sevi's magic flow through him and heal his wounds.

Standing up, he stretched his body and felt strength flow through it once again.

"It's better than not trying at all. Anything is better..." He said, growing silent and solemn.

"I suppose." Sevi sighed, unaware of the struggle within the young man. "Who am I to stop you if you are so inclined to try. It would be a good opportunity to see more of your magic at play from a closer angle, and good training for your own magic too perhaps."

"So where do I start?" He asked as he flourished his ethereal senses towards the cacophony of magic circles that dotted the circular room, realizing that this endeavor would truly take a while.

"So soon?" Sevi asked, flabbergasted at the young man's impatience. "You have just returned from another of the violent sprees you force yourself through."

"We'll have to start somewhere. and now is as good a time as any. I'm all healed up and you're right here so we might as well get to it." He said as he tried his hardest to follow the ether flow back to one of the beginning circles.

It was the method he used to dismantle the circles that constituted nested enchantments such as the ones that previously blocked his way into the lower ritual wing as well as the ones dotting Sevi's sealing room.

He stopped for a moment to question his actions, taking in the full scope of what he was about to attempt. Just as quickly however, he shook his head and resumed searching around, for he had already made his mind long ago, and wouldn't hesitate now.

"You still haven't told me where to start." Rethys repeated

"Hm? Ah yes. You will need to disarm the protections installed into the room itself before beginning work on the blade. You will begin from the outermost enchantments of each separate system, and then work your way inwards as you simultaneously weaken each of them in turns. Only then would the entire installation not react violently against both of us. This process will take a few days at least before you can deactivate the chains and the nullstones powering them, after which the blade will then simply fall to the ground.

"You will then clear away while I catch the blade in magic ice, both to help you reach it and begin work on your disenchanting, which will take a while, and because I do not want my soulstone to fall to the ground, for the mere thought of it irritates me. Are you following me thus far?"

"Yeah. So where do we start then?" He asked.

"There." She said as a bright red light shone over one of the tiles on the stone floor. "I'm sure you've seen just how intricate the enchantments of this room are, Rethys, so you must listen very carefully to my instructions and follow them to the letter."

"Understood." He said as he walked over to the circle in question.