Chapter 139: A Message

Toren Daen

I tossed a small ball of solid sound up, watching how the surrounding firelight twisted and warped within the oil-like shine of vibrations. It hummed with an oscillating tone as I caught it, then tossed it up again.

I was in an inn on the outskirts of the second layer of the Relictombs, having paid for a single night. I was lying on the bed, unable to sleep. A few hours had passed since I'd left the ball following my moonlit meeting with Renea Shorn, and the experiences continued to flash through my mind.

I caught the ball of solid sound once more. I called it solid sound, but in truth, it was a loose collection of churning sound mana held together by motes of pure mana interlaced within. In this state, it vibrated noticeably. I peered at the center of the construction.

"Did you expect this outcome?" I asked aloud, tossing the solid ball of sound back up after a brief pause. I wasn't angry as I asked the question. Just curious. "Considering how you withheld your reservations that one time, it seems like you might have."

Aurora's shade sat solemnly in a nearby chair, a darker cast to her dusky purple skin. "I did not have any expectations for what would happen after I distanced myself," she said. "I recognized the stressors that had acted on you all throughout the night. I simply thought…" she shook her head. "I simply thought that perhaps the affections you held for this Renea Shorn may have soothed your soul. I should have seen further ahead. Unfortunately, it is only my brother who bears that power." She looked up at me. "Why do you think you can not find a woman to truly love you?"

The ball of sound thwacked against my palm as I caught it again. "No relationship can support itself on a foundation of lies," I said after a moment. "And the more Renea and I spoke, the more our protective masks wore away. The ones I think we both needed. They keep us safe. From the world." I furrowed my brow. "From each other."

I'd found a rare understanding with the austere owner of Bloodstone Elixirs the more we interacted. Another person who cared for those beneath her, who desperately tried to make things better within a world that wanted anything but. A common struggle bound our hearts. Yet I'd also been told by more than one person that she was dangerous in a way I didn't understand. She was a schemer and a political mind, one that uncomfortably reminded my bond of Agrona. Could I, in good conscience, proceed with something so untenable? 

Aurora had told me Renea was dangerous. Sevren had told me Renea was dangerous. Renea herself had told me she was dangerous. Yet I discounted the real dangers she presented from a perspective clouded by loneliness and a desire to find someone like me.

Foolish, stupid man, I berated myself sourly. I thought myself above the whims of naivety, but clearly not. Thinking with your heart instead of your mind.

If Renea herself hadn't borne the forethought and maturity to break things off before they progressed too far, where would I have found myself?

Aurora remained silent for a moment as she allowed me to process this, but when she spoke, it was far from what I expected.

"At the start, I never believed I could love Andravhor," Aurora said solemnly. I caught the ball of solid sound, turning to look at the phoenix. I let the mana dissipate as I felt her prepare her words. "I was an asura of the phoenix race, nearly immortal. He was bound to his finite lifespan. And furthermore, my understanding and view of the world was as limited as the heartfire in his chest, while his wisdom stretched past my own years. For all intents and purposes, we should have been utterly incompatible. Yet we wore our reservations away." The phoenix ran a hand over the hole in her chest, her burning eyes closed in memory. "I mean to say that these things are not as impossible as you may think them, Toren. You are young and inexperienced in love, as was I. But you shall find someone who can fulfill you. There will be a time after your mission is done."

I opened my mouth to respond, but a swift knock on my door caught my attention. I tilted my head in confusion as I swung off the bed, then walked toward the door. On the other side, I could sense the sheer anxiety and fear of whoever was waiting.

I cautiously opened the door, looking down at the timid man I'd rented the room from. He shuffled from foot to foot, something held tightly in his hands.

"Yes?" I asked, feeling confused.

He licked his lips. "I was… I was supposed to deliver this to you," he said, quickly shoving a letter into my hands. I accepted it with a furrowed brow as the man retreated back down the hall, seeming ready to jump at his own shadow.

I looked down at the letter. It was sealed with a nondescript wax, no indicator of the sender. Cautiously, I broke the seal, pulling out the letter within.

I felt my hands tighten as I looked over what the paper displayed, my mind spinning as adrenaline began to course through my veins. The pristine beaker sigil of Bloodstone Elixirs was painted in dark ink across the paper, except a deep red streak had slashed straight through the glass. It wasn't ink that crossed out that image.

Beneath the threatening symbol, someone had written a message in blood.

The first of a promise.

Fire erupted from my hands, burning the letter away as I burst out the door. I skidded to a halt, my eyes tracing down the hallway. I slammed a telekinetic shove into the wood beneath me, splintering it as I blurred to the front of the building.

The owner of the inn yelled in surprise as I popped into existence next to him. He tried to stumble backward, but my hand, quick as a whip, snapped out to grip his collar.

"Who gave you that letter?" I demanded, feeling my mana thrum in my veins. My heartbeat picked up speed, matching the tempest in my head.

"A vicar!" the man yelped as my fingers dug into his tunic. "Please! Please, I don't want any trouble with–"

I released the inn owner. He tumbled to the floor, then scrambled away from me. Ignoring him, I blurred out the door, the implications clear.

Mardeth is going to try and kill Renea, I thought, slingshotting myself into the air and above the many stretching buildings in the Second Layer of the Relictombs. My earlier reservations and self-loathing fell away as thunder sounded in my ears. And not just her! All the mages of Bloodstone Elixirs are at risk. I need to get to her first!

I engaged my telekinetic emblem to its utmost as I blurred along the rooftops, sweat beading on my brow. I felt my vision narrow as the surroundings zipped beneath me.

A few mages saw my approach near the descension portal to the first layer of the Relictombs. They started yelling, raising the alarm as I rocketed toward the portal. I saw a caster trying to erect a metal wall in front of the portal, blocking my further progress. No doubt they thought I was some sort of threat.

"Out of my way!" I yelled, rearing my fist back as a towering wall crossed my path. A telekinetic push condensed around my knuckles, rivulets of fire coursing through.

My fist obliterated the spell, my momentum carrying me onward. Metal erupted into brutal shrapnel as I flitted through the gap I'd created, splashing through the portal in a blip.

I exploded into the first layer of the Relictombs, skidding to a halt, my fist clenched and steaming. Ascenders shied away from me in droves, calling for a guard of some sort. I ignored them, my eyes centering on the descension portal not far away.

I zipped toward it, uncaring of the disruptions I'd left in my wake. I could sense some fairly powerful mages rising to try and pursue me, but I was too fast. The dark atmosphere blurred past me as I silently begged that I wasn't too late. A burst of wind traveled in my wake, kicking up dust and throwing back hoods as people ducked for cover. I reached the descension portal barely half a minute later, sweat beading across my forehead.

The attendant lurched as my feet slammed into the stone platform bearing the descension portal, the pane of purple yawning high. A few of the mages around us tried to draw their weapons, but I pressed my mind into the ambient mana. My intent surged, compelling most to their knees.

I stalked toward the attendant, who shied away as I loomed like a knife. "You are going to key that portal to Aedelgard right now," I said in quiet order, struggling to contain my mana and emotions. Around me, mages struggled to breathe. "Do you understand?"

"I-I-" the poor door operator croaked, his eyes blown wide with fear, "I don't–"

"Do it," I hissed, "Or whatever happens next is on your head," I threatened.

The man blubbered, a dark spot appearing between his legs. As the mages trying to pursue me reached my range, they too quaked under the weight of my intent. I ignored them, glaring daggers into the terrified operator as he keyed something into one of his devices. "It's done," he said, speaking as if he was offering something to a god. "Please, just go!"

I forced myself to relent in my forceful intensity for the barest of moments. "Thank you," I said through gritted teeth, sifting through my dimension ring. Withdrawing my reserve bag of coins, I dumped it at his feet before I prepared to enter the descension portal. "I'm sorry," I said with a breath.

Then I stepped through the portal. For the barest of instants, my scattered mind realized I didn't truly know if I was going to Aedelgard. That operator could have keyed me into any descension portal in Alacrya, dooming me further. It would have been a fitting retaliation.

But as the kiss of the sea brushed my nose, I knew I was in the right place. I exhaled, clenching and unclenching my fists before I rushed out of the Aedelgard Ascender's Association. I burst into the rolling streets, my eyes scanning for–

There, I thought, spotting my destination. The headquarters of Bloodstone Elixirs stood out, even amidst the architecture in Aedelgard. I prayed to whatever higher power that existed that I wasn't too late. Aether. Fate. Whatever would listen. I arced higher into the air as I crested a building, then used dual pulls of my telekinesis on two nearby buildings to slingshot me further.

As I reached the borders of Bloodstone Elixirs, I began to slow, forcefully calming my uneven breath. I quested out with all my senses, trying to perceive a threat. I hopped up onto one of the parapets surrounding the building.

I inhaled, hearing half a hundred heartfires thrum against my ears. It seemed that Bloodstone was having a slower day, the signatures I could sense within milling about with their only concern being their work. Was I wrong?

I peered at the windows, allowing my power to spread out more. Yes, it seemed that…

I felt someone else's attention on me, piercing and hard. I swallowed, looking down into the flowered garden courtyard of Bloodstone Elixirs where I had sensed the attention.

Renea Shorn looked up at me with a deeply disapproving look, her hands clasped in front of her body. A ways behind her, Xander shifted uncomfortably, having failed to notice me in his constant vigil. I swallowed as our eyes met, images of what had happened between us not six hours ago coming to the forefront of my mind.

I exhaled. I needed to set my personal reservations aside. There were lives at stake.

I let myself drop into the courtyard, barely bending my knees as my feet impacted the soft grass. I strode toward the owner of Bloodstone Elixirs, burying the desire to simply turn away.

I stood a respectful distance away. "Lady Shorn," I said in greeting, my tone more even than I expected.

"Lord Daen," Renea said, a disapproving–almost angry note–lacing to her voice. "I would like to know why you have so rudely barged into my building."

I looked around again now that I was closer, trying to sense anything that could be amiss. I didn't think the message Mardeth had sent me was a fluke. He wasn't the type for those kinds of games. Did that mean I was early?

"I received a message," I said after a moment, unable to divine anything out of the ordinary. "From our mutual enemy. Claiming he would reap blood here. I thought it wise…" I said, trailing off. Was I even thinking at all? No, I hadn't been. I'd been acting, driven purely by raw emotion. The damage I'd left behind in the Relictombs rushing here was proof of that. "I felt it wise to move as quickly as I could. See if I could make some sort of difference," I said, reprising my statement.

Renea's frown deepened. Part of me still hoped her displeasure was not at me. Then she turned toward Xander behind her. "Xander," she said in a commanding tone. "Order the evacuation of our employees inside. Take them to the predetermined panic point for emergency attacks. This is not a drill," she said evenly.

Xander gulped visibly, his eyes darting to look at me with uncertainty before he rushed toward the building behind him.

My senses blared at me as something long and dark streaked toward Xander's retreating back in a blur. Acting on the barest of instincts, I rocketed forward, drawing Oath from my side in an explosive tug. My blade barely smashed the black object away mid-air, but the impact made my teeth rattle and my arm shook from the blow.

A long, dark arrow of blood iron was embedded into the soft dirt nearby. Xander, who seemed momentarily frozen from his near brush with death, burst back into motion, darting toward the building to sound the alarm. I barely spared him a glance as he made it inside.

I turned on my feet, mana thrumming through my veins as I felt the mana around me surge. Blackened heartfires pulsed in my ears as they surrounded the courtyard, murky and dark energy tainting the air.

Jorta, the vicar whose stomach I had obliterated, sneered at me from a rooftop beyond the courtyard, a longbow clasped in his hands. His vicar's robes were tattered and worn, and the place I'd hit with a return arrow was patched over with a sickly green, bulbous mass. His heartfire, above all others present, felt sick.

I moved back to Lady Shorn, trying to cover her with my body. I didn't even glance at her, too preoccupied with trying to keep all the Vritra-blooded mages within my sight.

Their hoods were all up, obscuring their features, but I could hear the darkness in their heartfires as a discordant wrongness in my ears. Five in total, including Jorta. They were strong.

"You got here fast, Toren Daen," Jorta mocked from afar. "I'd hoped you'd be later, so you could see the aftereffects of Mardeth's vengeance." His leering eyes flicked to Renea. "So you could watch your petty lover's blood taint the stones, knowing it was your fault for intervening in something greater than you. So the corpses of all the dead men in that building would lie heavy on your soul."

He sneered, drawing his bowstring back to his ear. "But it will be satisfying to see it in person, too."

He released his blood iron arrow. It hurtled toward me in a blur, but unlike what I'd seen before, it split. One arrow diverged to become two, then four, then eight, then sixteen as a barrage of metal spikes surged toward Renea and me. The mages surrounding us added their spells in tandem, trying to overwhelm us all. Bullets of dark fire, grave-black ice, and lurching dusky lightning added themselves to the wall of mana that sought to overwhelm us all.

I growled, settling into stance. The barrage wasn't aimed directly at me and Renea, but more at everything in my near vicinity. I threw up a large pane of telekinetic force, hoping to disperse the oncoming projectiles. The blackened lightning shifted, crashing into the side. It crackled solidly into the dirt, the dark ice following suit. But too late did I realize my mistake.

I could divert this barrage, but it would pepper the building behind me like a smattering of dark hell. All the men and women inside would be riddled with poisoned arrows, grave ice, and soulfire.

I hastily threw out a stream of solid fire beads, allowing them to elongate into daggers. The weapons surged forward under my control, trying to divert the dark spikes further. Oath flashed as it smashed three in quick succession, but there were too many. I'd have to dip into my Acquire–

A flash of brilliant white mana burned into existence nearby, arcing into the sky. It expertly cut off the paths of the projectiles I couldn't deflect and divert, smacking them aside as if they were little more than twigs. The dark mages all halted their barrage in surprise, looking at something by my side. The mana in the air churned with an absolute control I had rarely seen, gravitating in a steady rhythm.

I turned robotically, feeling my skin tingle from the closeness to the power. Renea Shorn's face still bore that disapproving cast as before, but I felt part of my insides twist in fear at something I couldn't quite comprehend. In her hand was a translucent blade of pure white mana, the edge sharp enough to sever my soul.

She flicked her mana blade down, the weapon carving a thin line into the dirt beside us. She didn't even move into a stance, yet I found that all the more intimidating. Her weapon hummed with power as she prepared to fight.

I'd known she was a mage. A powerful one. But the glimpse I got at her vibrating mana made me shudder.

Within my head, Aurora audibly growled.

"You come into my place of power," Renea annunciated slowly, as if she were talking to someone particularly dim-witted, "Threaten my allies and try and murder those under my protection," she said, the mana sword pulsing. "You have all crossed a line you cannot return from, dogs of the Doctrination." Her face did not shift an inch as her dark dress flared with the mana radiating from her. "And for that, you shall die."