Book 4, chapter 35

 The crescent moon hung in the sky, swamping her in waves of pressure that threatened to crush her soul. The bone lord's aura was no less oppressive, and she could feel it trying to suck all life from her body. Sendredie's domain skill and the bone lord's deathly aura made her feel like a bug, threatening to crush her.

Blood trickled from her nose and mouth as she activated her movement skill several times in succession. The bone lord paused his attack on the ship, cocking his head at her as she drew closer. He seemed startled to see such a weakling approaching him. His presence was mountainous, as his gaze alone threatened to strip her aura bare. She was terrified at what she was about to do, but there was no backing down now. 

Zee didn't bother with pleasantries, reaching inward. There was a loud, soul wrenching snap in her mind, as the cage containing her inner world was forced open. A torrential flood of energy rushed through her energy channels, cracking open several inner gates.

Her body shown like a pulsar star as a spectral tower formed behind her. Growing from the rocky landscape far below, the tower pierced up into the sky, forming a raging storm at its peak. 

This was Kur Zuls plan, to unleash the spire and channel the power confined inside her inner world. Dern hated the idea, but at-least he was willing to fight along side her. 

Her aura spiked, as her body became a conduit to the tower and the storm atop it. The bone lord was pushed back, with shards of bone forming a dense barrier around him.

"What are you?" He asked, his tone more curious than anything. 

"No one important, I'm just a human," Zee said.

Her body threatened to explode, as the storm overhead rushed into her. Her organs threatened to rupture, as her channels barely contained the vast energy flowing through her body.

She felt that gathered energy rushed through her, and the effect was immediate. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. Containing this much power in her body was impossible, her only option was to channel the power.

Her sword vibrated ominously, threatening to shatter as she raised it above her head in a two-handed grip. The world river roiled as she cut at the air, unleashing a reality slash. The skill was amplified a thousand times over and crossed the gap to the bone lord in a heartbeat. 

Reality split asunder, with the clouds and the earth being cut from the attack. A colossal divide formed, as a gaping maw opened to the void.

Zee gasped for breath, watching on as the tear snapped shut with a clap of thunder. She expected to see nothing left of her opponent, but despair filled her when the smoke cleared.

The bone lord was completely unscathed, with only a few cracks covering his shield of bones.

"How, interesting.. What kind of artifact are you using to channel this much power," He asked curiously. 

She grimaced, glancing up at the storm clouds which were dwindling by the second. Her time in this state was running out. She only had until the storm was fully channeled, and then she would likely pass out, maybe even die.

Stalling the bone lord was the goal, but she had hoped to defeat him with that surprise attack. 

It appeared that was never truly an option, even while channeling the storm. If she couldn't defeat him, maybe she could stall by talking.

"It's my inner world," Zee said, watching as the ship her friends were on got further away.

His expression turned thoughtful. "How is that even possible for an E-grade brat?" He asked. 

Zee shrugged. "I have no idea, this is my first time doing it," She said. 

The bone lord glanced towards the retreating ship, then towards the battle raging in the distance. Her grandpa and the Aintar leader were going all out, unleashing attacks that made the dimension shake.

Huge waves of fire and clouds of spatial cuts ravaged the landscape, as they unleashed apocalyptic skills. It was a reminder of just how far out of her depth she was. Shaking her head from the distracting fight, she put all of her focus back on the bone lord.

Miasma swirled and he moved. In a cloud of mist, she appear in front of his path, unleashing her aura, infused with compression. 

The bone lord grinned, the expression menacing.

"I thought as much. So you are sacrificing yourself?" He asked curiously.

Zee shook her head, readying herself for another attack. "Not a chance. If you think I am just going to roll over and give up, you are mistaken," Zee said.

The bone lord cracked a wide smile. His body undulated changing shape as the bones covering his frame flowed across his body. 

His form looked much more agile now, with sleek ridges of bone covering his humanoid body. He looked a lot more like a melee fighter than a caster now.

 "I suppose converting you will make a good consolation prize," He replied.

The storm raged in her body, and blue flames danced around her as Zee wrapped her body in her spirit echo skill. 

"You can't convert me if you are dead," Zee retorted. 

The bone lord laughed and pushed off the air, shooting towards her. 

A wicked-looking pole axe made of bone appeared in his hands, and he chopped down at her head. 

She raised her sword to block and immediately regretted it. Bone met her blade, and her arms threatened to break under the force.

The wind whipped around her as she was thrown back, her body turned into a projectile. 

She crashed right through the ethereal tower, which exploded and reformed amidst the raging storm. Zee swore inwardly, trying everything she could think of to slow her assisted flight.

Flying was new to her, and even with so much energy under her control, it wasn't easy. 

By the time she stopped her fall to certain death, the bone lord was already upon her. 

A hail of bone spikes shot towards her from all directions, moments from turning her into a pincushion.

She activated Wayward Walk, turning into a cloud of mist. With her movement skill, she was much more confided, and flew upward, towards her approaching enemy. 

The sudden change in direction would have caught most people unaware. The bone lord was not like most people. He caught her surprise attack on the haft of his pole axe with little effort. Using his longer reach and superior strength, the bone lord smacked the blunt end of his weapon into her side. 

She felt her ribs crack, as the weapon punched through spirit echoes shroud like it wasn't there.

The pain was agonizing but she channeled more of the storm. The power she had accumulated over the last year was dwindling rapidly, so she had to finish this fight, and soon.

Zee unleashed both of her domains, compressing the air around her, and unleashing ebb and flow. The bone lord slowed ever so slightly under the immense weight, giving her a brief opening.

She teleported in behind him, and her sword cut in under his outreached arm, slamming into his side. Empowered by two sparks and the raging storm channeled through the tower, the attack could have cut most D-grade cultivators in half. 

Her sword clanged loudly, as it struck the bone lord's skin. Her hands vibrated from the impacts, and the spirit in her sword cried out in pain. It was clear that her sword couldn't take much more of this kind of punishment.

A small trickle of ichor flowed from the bone lord's side. The flames of spirit echo burned darkly, making the wound bubble for only a few moments. The flames were snuffed out quickly stopping after only a few seconds.

Turning to a cloud of mist, Zee fell back, her concern growing. The bone lord didn't follow, cocking his head at her as she reformed. 

"You only have sparks? Such low-tier concepts have no hope of breaking through my defenses," The bone lord said casually.

Zee grimaced, her ribs throbbing painfully. Her borrowed power was draining faster than expected, and still, she hadn't done any meaningful damage. On the bright side, the ship had already passed through the dimensional rift.

Now that they were gone, she needed to get her own bacon out of the fire. Her thoughts were derailed as a wave of blinding pain hit her. There was a sharp crack in her mind, as cracks spread across her fragment. The energy in her body surged unexpectedly, and she fell a few hundred meters before regaining control.

The bone lord followed, his expression never changing. 

"Your control is slipping. If you don't focus, and control the flow of energy, it will rip you apart," The bone lord said.

Zee glared at him, gasping in a futile effort to catch her breath. The pain was excruciating, like hot agony through her body. The pain was enough that she actually listened. She looked inward, towards the gaping hole in her inner world. It was like a huge wound, one that gushed energy.

Her fragment was the focal point, and it was not strong enough to channel the flood for long, made more evident by the spreading cracks. The bone lord was right, the massive flow of energy was killing her.

"Dern, help me," Zee said through gritted teeth. She didn't wait for a response

"I am on it. Kur Zul, get off your ghostly ass and help me stem the tide," Dern swore.

"Don't order me around, I know what I'm doing," Kur Zul snapped back. 

"The both of you knock it off! If we don't work together, we all die!" Zee ordered. 

Working frantically, she imposed her will on the flood in her mind, desperately trying to stem the tide. The hurricane of energy slowed to a raging flood, and then a calm river as the hole in the cage closed. The tide slowed by three quarters, making it much easier to control. 

Gasping for breath, Zee opened her eyes, knowing she wasn't out of danger just yet.

The bone lord nodded in approval.

"That's better, now, let's see what else you can do," 

He shot forward, his pole axe swinging towards her face.

No longer blinded by agony, she was able to think much clearer now. Instead of meeting the blow head on like an idiot, she deflected it.

The force raddled her teeth, but at-least it didn't threaten to break her in half. The bone lords demeaner did a one eighty turn. His look of anger was gone, and excitement was on his face as they fought. 

Zee didn't share his mood. He pushed her relentlessly, never giving her any breathing room. They were fighting in the sky, and she didn't have much experience, so she made more than one misstep.

She had fought a lot of enemies over the past three years, but the bone lord was something else. His technique was flawless, his control, perfect. Without the element of surprise, she couldn't touch him.

Her sword sang through the air, filling the skies with a haunting melody. Zee couldn't really fly, but instead repeatedly used her movement skill to stay aloft.

Her mist form sort of counted, but she couldn't attack while in that state. They clashed, and separated.

Zee used everything in her arsenal, while the bone lord fought only using skill with his weapon. 

Fighting mid-air had some issues she hadn't foreseen. Namely, she couldn't summon Dern. If she did, he would fall like a rock to the ground hundreds of meters below.

Also, it was nearly impossible to find solid footing while in mid-air. The bone lord had no such troubles, seeming to push off the air like it was solid ground.

She frantically defended, taking one wound after another, with her body slowly getting infected. It was bad, but the heart of fire beat loudly in her chest, burning away the deathly chill.

Zee wasn't sure why but the bone lord wasn't using any ranged skills, but that was to her advantage. All hope wasn't completely lost. She still had one final chance to change the tide of battle.

She needed to set up an opening and allow herself to pull it off. The only problem was, that the bone lord wasn't leaving any openings. She was taking one cut after another, and he was like a wall.

Stemming the tide had bought her some time, but that time was running out. The heart of fire worked to purge the miasma from her body with waves of warmth, but it wasn't enough.

The ethereal tower was slowly fading, and the storm was running out. Zee didn't give up tho. In order to create an opening, she conjured Dern and threw him at the bone lord.

The undead abomination raised his poleaxe to block Dern's glaive mid-air. Zee immediately activated her wayward walk skill and appeared behind the bone lord.

She held her sword in her off-hand, and a long spike in the other. It was the profane weapon Petrie had given her, and in the end, was one of the reasons that the alchemist had died.

Zee stabbed the spike toward the bone lord's back, and it punched right through his armor. Zee immediately dismissed Dern before he could fall to his death, and flashed away. When she reappeared near the fading tower, she froze. 

Contrary to her expectations, the bone lord didn't look upset at all. With a gush of ichor, he pulled the spike from his back.

He held the profane spike in front of him and squeezed. The spike shattered, turning into a cloud of metal fragments, and a haze of miasma that quickly absorbed into the bonelord skin.

"Not bad. It was a good attempt. It's a shame you used such a weapon on a bone lord. We are immune to most types of cursed weapons," He said.

Zee gasped for breath. Her vision growing more blurry by the moment. Her limbs were feeling numb, and the miasma was starting to overpower her bloodline's ability to cleanse it.

"It looks like you are all tapped out. Any more surprises," he asked casually. 

As if in answer, Zee started to fall as the tower behind her faded. The wind whipped around her, but there was nothing more she could do. She had given it her all, and it was not enough. The bone lord was simply a being so far above her in power that she couldn't hope to defeat them.

Regret clawed at her as she fell towards the unforgiving rock below. Regret for letting Dern down, and regret for how she left Bastion.

Glendale caught the human as she fell, curious to see what kind of revenant he could make from her corpse. In the distance, Julian and Bardok fought. In his eyes, the fight had already been decided.

Bardok was loosing, and it wouldn't be long before he ran away like the coward he was. In the meantime, Glendale decided to convert her while she was still alive.

That method always birthed the strongest revenants and even had a solid chance to keep their bloodlines intact. He might even be able to keep the odd anomaly inside her head from crumbling. It was an exciting prospect.

He raised a claw towards her head, with miasma rushing between his fingers. His claw touched her forehead, and he froze. A river of miasma rushed out of his finger, but it changed course. At her side, a satchel burst apart, and a book flew upward.

It flapped up next to his claws and hovered above the human's head. His eyes widened as the book opened its pages dragging in all of his miasma. With a clap-like thunder, a presence washed over him. It was the aura of something ancient and incredibly powerful, a presence he recognized. 

It was the presence of the Eternal throne, a presence he had sensed so long ago. That made him pause, as he glanced back down at the human who was dying in his arms. The book was bound to this human, and it was somehow connected to the Eternal throne.

His hands shook at the possibility. Could she be a keyholder? The thought pushed aside any ideas of converting her to a revenant. If she was a keyholder, and that was far more important than another follower. She might be his ticket to finding the extremely elusive Eternal throne.

His racing thoughts were derailed as an aura that made space distort crashed down on him. Glendale glanced over, noticing that Bardok was fleeing and Julian was bearing down on him. Well, this was going to be interesting, he thought.

It didn't take long for the spatial cultivator to step from a rift in space. His old friend had a look that could kill across his face.

"Give my granddaughter back," Julian demanded, his tone murderous.

Glendale snorted in derision. He hefted Zee onto his shoulder, "Granddaughter? No wonder she looked familiar," Glendale replied.

Julian's eyes narrowed. "What do you want..." Julian asked, space seeming to shudder around them as he spoke.

Glendale hummed thoughtfully, not cowed by his display.

"I want a lot of things. At first, I was angry you stole my world core, but now I think I found a better prize. Your granddaughter will make an impressive undead when I convert her," Glendale mused.

"Don't antagonize me. Name your price," Julian replied dangerously. Glendale considered the offer. If they fought seriously, the outcome was uncertain. Plus, his prize would likely die, and he might lose any chance of finding the Eternal throne. Considering that, it might be best to make some concessions.

"There are things I want. What I desire is your help locating and uncovering the entrance to the Eternal Throne," Glendale replied. He spoke it casually, but the implications were obvious. If he was looking for it, that meant the Eternal throne was emerging, a fact that Julian immediately recognized.

"The throne emerges," Julian asked slowly.

"Yes.. I have sensed it. In fact, this girl here, i believe she is a keyholder," Glendale said, gesturing to the book flapping around Zee's head and biting at her hair. It was as if the living book was trying to pick her up and take her away, a futile gesture.

Julian's eyes widen. "You have got to be kidding me," Julian asked.

"No, I am not. I am very serious," Glendale replied.

Julian's expression darkened. "If the throne is emerging, there will be other keyholders. The peak factions like the Ashary, and the Kul a Var will not just sit by and let you claim the prize," Julian warned. 

"I am aware. That is why decided to ask for your help. If we fight, we have much to lose. However, if we come to an agreement, we may both benefit. We can call it a formal alliance between the Terlashar, and the Lorocan empire," Glendale offered.

Julian frowned, looking hesitant. Glendale was no fool. He knew just how daunting it would be to claim such a rare, and valuable thing like the Eternal throne. 

If he wanted any chance to succeed he needed the Lorocan's as allies. Since Julian held strong ties with the emperor, an alliance would be unlikely if he killed the man's granddaughter. It might be best to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. 

"I tell you what, I will forget this whole mess and let you and your ship leave unmolested. All you have to do is convince the mad witch, and your emperor to help look for the entrance when the time comes. Sendredie can even have the World Core. The Terlashar will turn our armies to searching for more keys, and keyholders. We will also offer any assistance in retrieving keys if you find them, no matter which territories they are in," Glendale said.

Julian's expression turned thoughtful. He looked on the edge of agreeing, so Glendale added one more nail to the coffin.

"Oh, and I will even take your little gran daughter and personally train her for the next two years," Glendale said as if in afterthought.

Julian raised an eyebrow. "That's very generous. And what if we fail to find the entrance to the Eternal Throne," Julian asked.

Glendal shrugged. "As long as you enter the cosmic river on the next blood moon eclipse, and do your best to help me find the entrance to the Eternal Throne, I will consider the bargain fulfilled," Glendale replied..

Julian took a few moments to consider the offer. Blindly trusting the bone lord on just his word was foolish. Glendale would have lost respect for him if he had.

"Swear on your bones that you will return Zee alive to Lorocos within three years and we have a deal," Julian said, having made up his mind.

Glendale didn't even hesitate. An ocean of miasma rushed from his body, swirling around him as he spoke. "I swear on my blood, I swear on my bones that I will return Zee of clan Viotti back to Lorocos alive within three years," Glendale said.

His bones creaked, as fractures spread throughout them, scarring his thick exoskeleton. It was an oath that a bone lord couldn't break, and if they did, it would kill them.

Julian nodded. "Train her as best you can. If a corner of the Eternal Throne is emerging in our sectors, she will need the strength," Julian said.

Glendale patted the unconscious Zee on the back. "Don't worry, once I help her recover a bit, I know just the place to take her to toughen her up," Glendale said with an evil grin.

Julian left through the dimensional rift, uncertain if he made the right choice. Glendale was not known for his gentle training methods. But, Julian had to admit, this was a huge opportunity for Zee. 

Glendale was the second in command of the Terlashar, someone at the peak of the Celestial grade. Zee might hate him once the training was done, but it was for her own good. 

As for Zee's friends. He might as well take them back to Lorocos. He had promised to enroll them in the imperial academy. They would need to train hard, or they would be too weak to participate in the upcoming war. 

As for his return. Julian had been more than a little worried. The emperor was not known for his forgiving nature. And since Julian had effectively sparked an all-out war with the blood gorgers. Not to mention the fact he had allied himself with a personal enemy of the Emperor, things were looking dire.

Now, that would change. News of the Eternal throne emerging would be more than enough to get back in the emperor's good graces. The last emergence of that terrifying place was over ten thousand years ago.

If it was reemerging now, the emperor would want to prepare. Such a monumental event would attract the attention of the peak clans in the universe. Everyone would be fighting for a chance to ascend to the Boundless ranks. It filled his blood with fire. 

Who knew, if they didn't die while entering the cosmic river, he might finally take that step. It all banked on finding the entrance to the Eternal Throne and claiming the opportunity before others could.