The Crystal Sage stepped over the snow of his peak, calmly and steadily maintaining his pace. He walked around his home and stopped behind it, his cane stabbing into the ground. He looked down with solemn eyes and peered through a shell of flickering soul power.
In between heartbeats, the hazy form of a woman as beautiful as a doll sat there, her arms hugging her knees and her eyes vacant.
The Sage sighed and crouched on one knee before her. He gently placed his hand on her head like a loving parent, somehow bypassing her ethereal form with nothing but his touch.
"Do not worry. Everything will be fine," he whispered and her eyes slowly closed.
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When the wings were moved away from her line of sight, Nyx opened her eyes to what seemed to be a laboratory. There was also a very eye-catching cylinder in the center filled with an unknown liquid, inside which bathed three floating rings of cyan energy.
"Where are—!" She put a halt to her question when she heard glass breaking behind her.
She quickly turned around and saw Rakna leaning against a table, breathing hard. He had returned to his therian form and the obsidian was spreading even more. Nyx was about to rush to him but he held a hand up to stop her.
"I'm fine," he rasped out and leaned against the table. "Mina," he called and a warning light blinked on the ceiling.
"Good day, Sir," a synthetic female voice echoed. "I have deactivated the defense protocols upon sensing your arrival; welcome."
Rakna snickered. "Thank you for that. Where's Gaelius?"
"He is on his way. Sir Eldron and Miss Malcanthet were on the floor above monitoring their latest iteration of the Eion Tri-Core when I notified them of your arrival."
"Evelyn is here too?" The therian groaned. "Great… what am I going to say now?"
As soon as he said that, the door swung open and an elderly man in a white coat entered with a confused expression. He looked around and quickly spotted his guests.
"Oh… you're here. I didn't expect you to barge in like this, lad," Gaelius remarked but concurrently raised his eyebrows at the therian. "But judging from how you look, this doesn't seem to be a visit of courtesy..."
"What gave it away?" Rakna retorted with a jesting smile and the elderly man blinked in surprise, but his reaction would have to wait as someone pushed him out of the way.
"Rakna?" Evelyn came in wearing a similar laboratory garb and when her eyes landed on the target of her search, they widened urgently and she instantly vanished only to reappear right in front of the therian. "What happened?!" She asked frantically, waving her hands anxiously, almost scared to touch him and worsen something.
Even Rakna was taken aback by her outburst. He hadn't expected her to use Blink to shorten the distance. It seemed that she had honed this ability to the point she did it on reflex.
"Calm down," he quickly calmed her down and gently pushed her hands down, which were already about to cast a healing spell. "The hardest has passed and this is not something you can fix with a bit of Life Magic."
"But--!" She wanted to argue but he stopped her again with a shake of his head.
"I'm pressed for time, Evelyn," he said sharply and turned toward Gaelius. "The Eion Frame. Where is it?"
The scientist furrowed his eyebrows. "I have no qualms showing you but… you should know that it isn't finished. The Frame itself is built, but based on what you intended to do with it, I have yet to shape the internal hardware…"
"I don't care. I need it now," Rakna retorted and groaned as he felt something along his ribs move unnaturally. He held it tightly and continued, "I'll take care of the rest."
"If you are sure," Gaelius nodded and approached a digital pad on the wall. He typed in a command and a compartment at the back of the room opened, followed by a human-sized pod emerging out of it horizontally.
Rakna grunted and pushed himself off the table to head toward it. Gaelius arrived first and pressed a button, prompting the interior to depressurize with a sharp noise before the lid popped out and automatically slid open.
Nyx and Evelyn patiently watched the white cloud that filled it dissipate and widened their eyes in awe when the content was revealed. "This…" The Night Goddess whispered as she admired the figure inside the pod.
What lay in front of her was a perfect and beyond reconstruction of Ceresta. Her eyes were closed as if in deep sleep and her silver hair spread around like a piece of art. Her hands were folded over her chest, which was bare just as the rest of her body. Yet, her state of undress was not enough to distract anyone from her innate beauty.
"When did you…?" Nyx began confusedly.
"I gave Gaelius a schematic made with Eye of Symphony the last time I passed by," Rakna answered and with a stuttered step, he leaned over the pod and placed his hand on the forehead of the inert body before taking a deep breath.
His soul power, now taking the form of purple flames, began to flare around his arm. But it wasn't alone; a silver hue peacefully mixed within. At the same time, Rakna's left eye collapsed its lenses and a small but noticeable pattern of blue lines ran from his hands to Ceresta's skin.
"Wait, Rakna," Nyx raised her voice and tried to touch his arm, only for the soul flames to form an actual barrier between him and her. It didn't hurt or push her away, but that didn't stop her from being startled at how far Rakna's soul mastery had gone after a single fight.
He looked at her over his shoulder and she clenched her hand, retrieving it. She stared right back at him and spoke, "I trust your ability but… even you cannot bind her program and infant soul into a flesh puppet. That requires far more than just soul control and a powerful computing device."
Unexpectedly, Rakna smiled at that. "You're right. It's beyond me," he admitted and the soul flames increased in intensity and their light made Ceresta's hair shine. "Thankfully… that's not my role to fulfill," he said and pulled his hand away.
The flames disappeared and all that was left was a silver aura around the Frame as well as a faint pulse of Eion running under her skin.
Immediately afterward, Rakna let out a repressed cry and keeled over. Spikes of black crystal then burst out from his ribcage and he barely held onto the pod to avoid falling.
Nyx winced and tried to look away whilst biting her lip and Gaelius' eyes widened in alarm, while Evelyn paled in horror at the sight.
"Damn it… can't this thing give me a minute?" Rakna grumbled to himself and broke the obsidian with his elbow. He forced himself up and got closer to Ceresta. He held the sides of her head and placed his forehead against hers before closing his eyes.
"Ceres, I know you can hear me," he muttered and while everyone in the room remained silent out of sheer unease, they noticed something on the therian's back. A small light shone through Allegro in a peculiar shape. "I only need you to do one thing for me," he added and the shape consolidated into a glimmering chalice.
"Wish it. The price doesn't matter. Wish to live, and I will grant it," he declared and Ceresta's eyelid twitched, after which the Crystal Chalice's light burst and filled the entire lab.
Rakna felt its brightness prickle his skin and after what felt like an eternity, everything stopped in an instant. He opened his eyes in a hurry and looked around. The forms of Nyx, Evelyn, and Gaelius were immobile as if the room had been frozen in time.
Then, footsteps echoed behind him. It was accompanied by a blunt sound he intuitively attributed to a cane hitting the floor. With a scowl, he turned around and faced the Sage himself, standing a whole head taller than him.
The two silently gazed at each other for a while until the Sage broke the stalemate. "This is but the second time you grant a wish," he remarked and walked around him to stand on the opposite side of the pod. "In fact, I would argue it is the first. The erstwhile was an amnesty, which you expended to give birth to a Phoenix."
The beautiful man looked down at Ceresta with his diamond eyes, almost woefully. "Yet, you are already attempting to defy the rules," he stated. "You cannot grant a wish without price. And you know well that she is not in possession of the required dues. Nor would she be willing to substitute them with things such as her newfound feelings and memories."
"Do I look like I care about your rules?" Rakna retorted with a cold tone. He was neither wondering about the presence of this man nor his surroundings.
The Sage chuckled despite himself. "Point taken. But these rules are not to be infringed. They were paramount at the beginning of my journey and still are, for I have yet to reach the end."
"My journey is not yours," the therian dryly replied and he smiled.
"Clearly not," he said with a shake of his head and stepped away from the pod. He grabbed his cane with both hands and closed his eyes.
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"First Tenet, You Shall Grant Your Foremost Wish Without Cost."
"Second Tenet, You Shall Demand an Adequate Price for The Wish Pled."
"Third Tenet, You May Offer Benevolence but Never Break the Second Tenet."
"Fourth Tenet, You Shall Not Partake in Wishes That Are Not Genuine of Heart."
"Fifth Tenet, You Shall Not Betray the Hope of Misery."
"Sixth Tenet, You Shall Not Grant Wishes for Yourself."
"Seventh Tenet, You Shall Not Give Up."
"Eighth Tenet, You Shall Not Partake in Pettiness."
"Ninth Tenet, You Shall Be a Testament of Fairness."
"Tenth Tenet, You Shall Follow These Laws Until Your Duty Is Over."
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After stating those ten rulings, the Sage opened his eyes again with a distant look of reminiscence on his face. "Remember them," he said quietly.
"…why should I?" Rakna narrowed his eyes. "Why should your limitations be passed down to me?"
"Because they were passed down to me," the Sage responded with a peculiar smile as if his words only held meaning to him. "However… you do not need them today, I confer," he said with a small nod. "You have yet to start your journey, and I am reaching the end of mine. These rules apply to no one in this moment."
"…"
"Nonetheless, you do not have my power yet. You merely possess its most basic function. You can convert ideas into miracles, and miracles into reality. You require a price. If she does not have one for herself… you shall."
Rakna lowered his head and stared at his hands. He took off his left glove and inspected the scales of black crystal growing on the back. He snorted and then covered it back. "Something I have, you say…" He hummed and thought of one skill. "A Blessing should do the trick then."
The Sage smiled. "Good choice. You will not regret losing that ability?"
"It's powerful, but I dislike holding onto things that aren't mine in full."
"So be it," the Sage said and extended his hand toward him. An orb of divine energy emerged from the therian's chest and flew to the diamond-haired man. "Your Wish…" He whispered and gently prodded the sphere toward Ceresta. "Shall Be Granted."
When it reached her body, it took on the color of silver and enveloped her body. At the same time, Rakna felt time return to normal and the Sage about to fade away. Rather than speaking out, his eyes glowed gold and he triggered Crystal Sight to observe the legendary man one last time.
Then, immediately, his lips parted and his eyes widened. But more than shock, there was a larger sense of realization in his expression. The Sage gazed back at him in the eyes, and as if to respond, his diamond-like eyes also welcomed a shimmering cross; albeit more refined and that much more beautiful than the therian's.
Rakna was stunned for a short moment before he eventually broke into a short laugh. "Hah… how stupid is that?" He muttered to himself and scoffed. "I know who you are," he uttered and the Sage laughed lightly in return.
"I am sure you do... We shall meet again at the starting line. For now, concentrate. You have yet to save yourself and no wish will do it for you."
With those words, the Sage disappeared for good and time resumed. Without delay, every person in the room jumped in surprise when they saw Rakna standing in a completely different manner than he was an instant before.
Furthermore, a System window popped up in front of him afterward.
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Error! Error! Err—
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—Error Overridden by External Force.
Updating Database…
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Ascension of The Titan has been removed from your status.
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'Uh, so it wasn't an illusion. He really stopped time…' The therian thought and silently put two of his fingers on Ceresta's neck. Without saying anything, he smiled in relief and as if taking advantage of that, sharp pains occurred on almost every part of his body.
He growled and contracted his arms as more spikes tried to burst out. After letting go of Ceresta's soul, the state of his own was catching back up to him at an accelerated pace.
"At this rate, I'll turn into a porcupine statue," he joked to himself and unfurled his wings. He tried to turn into a werewolf as well, but the process didn't even want to start for some reason. With a click of his tongue, he turned to warn Gaelius. "Take care of her until she wakes up," he said to the scientist who was getting whiplash from the series of events.
"What do you mean take care…?" He uttered in confusion but then noticed that the Eion Frame he had built was now showing signs of life on the pod's monitor. "Wha…?" He blinked in disbelief and pulled up a tablet to check the data.
Meanwhile, Rakna staggered off and mumbled one skill, "[Perfidious Edict.]" A surge of infernal power was invoked for a short second, and within that small time frame, he experienced an even greater strength than when he used his demonization; resetting his every cooldown.
"What now?" Nyx asked whilst standing next to him. She narrowed her eyes, a palpable irritation in her tone for his reckless behavior. "You better have a way to save yourself or I'll bring you back to life just so I can kill you again."
Rakna dryly chuckled, as if he was too tired to even laugh. "Honestly, I'm not sure. No matter how hard I think about it, I have no surefire idea," he admitted and Evelyn approached with a worried face. He smiled at her and continued, "But there is someone… who owes me a favor and might just be my best bet."