"What?!?" both L'Naan and Echo exclaimed.
"Mana-rich food, special herbs, a mana-gathering array on the roof of the tower... From the memories of Dystina, that is the basic treatment for Mortals stepping into the Immortal Path with the protection of a powerful group, and we still don't know the quality of the herbs. Yes, Sancu is nurturing us with this treatment, but L'Naan's presence here means that she has the chance to step on the same path as us. I'm not sure if the effects will be permanent since he threatened to erase us from Time here, but I could guess that he will make the same offer that you and Raven got.
"L'Naan, we aren't going to pressure you into joining us, but we aren't staying in this 'dimension' after Voyager reaches the Alpha Quadrant. To gain the power that Echo and Raven wield, they tied their Souls to Katye and me, but it was not something that we knew about before it was done. There is a friend of our past lives who is watching over us, but his goal is to ensure that Katye and I recover our old power in the safest way possible. While his methods may seem brutish, evil, and downright despicable considering his strength, he also has the ability to wipe our Egos and have them be reborn in another place, which he has done before.
"By joining us, your life will be at risk, and likely bound to Katye and me just as Echo's and Raven's are. You've seen it; trouble follows us wherever we go, and if it's not enough to challenge us, others will step in to make it harder. We had planned on giving you the choice at the end of this adventure, but it seems that 'they' are willing to give you the chance sooner. I'm not sure how that will affect things when we return to Voyager, but they will solve the matter if they are giving you this chance. The choice is yours and, no matter what you decide, we will both put our lives on the line to protect you," I explained with a sigh.
"Why should I join you?" L'Naan asked, but not with an aggressive tone; she truly wanted to know why I would think that she would join us.
"You're really too stubborn for your own good... which is exactly why you will fit in so well with us," I chuckled with a wry smile, having glanced into her mind. "Yes, the feelings that I have for you are less than my feelings for Katye, Raven, and Echo, but we've had nearly fifteen years together; it would be insulting to them if it wasn't that way currently, but fifteen years is nothing compared to hundreds of thousands of years. Joining us means stepping on the Immortal Path where you can live for millions of years and longer. Joining us means that when the 'universe' is coming for you, or one of us, the rest will have each other's back. We're a family, and lovers, as long as you want and don't betray us. This isn't some passing fling; we want you by our side because we love and trust you."
"And what about when I'm told to sacrifice myself for you or Katye?" L'Naan asked.
That struck a nerve; I could not deny it. My jaw clenched with anger before I sighed and stated, as calmly as I could, "While your question is very valid, Raven had a choice to help fix my mistake. She could have refused, and yes, there would have been danger to everyone, but she made her choice willingly... because she wanted to be the one to save me for a change... They aren't the type to force anyone into an impossible position, and the only reason that you are here is because we lost to Annorax. Your life is in danger, I know, and I'm sorry, but that's likely why they are giving you this chance. If you refuse to play their Games, they will let you. The consequences could be dire, like what Raven faced, or it could also be as simple as missing out on some kind of training. They always give you a choice and respond accordingly."
A bit out of character, L'Naan huffed and laid on her back, staring up at the blue sky. "I'm a mistake that never should have happened. The crew of Voyager has accepted me, but always... in the back of their minds, my mind, I'm B'Elanna. Is there some way to separate myself from her?"
"There is," a familiar voice came from behind me, startling the three of us.
"Sancu, why are you here?" I asked, seeing the snake-man.
"To answer the young lady's request, of course. Since you have already figured out your true reward for an excellent performance, there is no point in hiding the matter. L'Naan, if you choose to join Rebecca and Katye as Echo and Raven did, your past with the crew of Voyager will need to be erased and replaced, as if you were always a member of Rebecca's crew from the beginning. Erasing or changing your memories will change who you are, but a mental buffer can be placed which will help you to separate yourself from the memories you share with B'Elanna, helping you feel like a true individual over time," Sancu explained.
"I would like that," L'Naan, who had sat up when Sancu first spoke, said.
"Then it shall be done by my Master should you survive this trial. Be warned, Katye did not choose the quick method to end this trial and it will take her decades to achieve minor success," he said with a smirk then vanished with the tap of his cane before any of us could reply.
"Decades?!?" Echo exclaimed while I opted to throw a fireball at where he had been 'standing'.
"How many of those undead will spawn if we stay here for decades?" L'Naan could not help but ask.
"Zombies are the least of our problems," I said with an annoyed huff. "Once I regain my full strength, I could hold back the horde myself, and I'm not bragging. Echo and I are already guessing that something will change tonight, so be careful. Sancu does not get involved in his Games once they start, so his appearance here, even to reassure you, means that this will not be as simple as it has been so far. He is playing with us, I assure you."
Honestly, I did not know how I knew that he was toying with us, but I did. It was a gut feeling that I could not ignore, just like how I had unraveled the 'true reward' as he had said. My past life was likely the reason since he seemed to have some familiarity with Katye and me, giving me a better understanding of his character, even if it was instinctual.
"If the 'zombies' aren't a danger, then what could be coming?" L'Naan asked as she stood up and walked towards us.
"I'm not sure… the list of undead creatures that exist can rival the list of species known to the Federation, and there are plenty that can rival me, or even eclipse the 'current' me. Trying to guess what he has cooked up is about as helpful as learning the Borg language," I replied.
Echo frowned at my statement while L'Naan retorted, "Don't you already know it, considering?"
I chuckled as she sat down across from us and said, "While that would make perfect sense, if we had an understanding of the Borg technology inside of us, it would be a simple matter to remove it. Can't have that when it's the blade at our throat, reminding us, that if Raven truly falls to the Collective, we are next. While I could probably remove the connection to Raven, Echo can't, so Katye needs to unravel how to truly separate us from the technology, yet another trial and test for us."
"You guys never stop training, huh?"
"I think my last day off, where I did not worry about some looming danger, training myself, or losing control of my power was what… fourteen years ago when we settled in Eden, and that was only because I demanded it," I chuckled.
"Do you really think it is all worth it?" L'Naan asked.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation. "Even if it wasn't for the danger that my true power brings, I wouldn't change my life for anything. Before, I was a shell of a person, never realizing the difference between surviving and living… In less than six months of my new life, I had learned the difference, and found a reason to truly live. Despite killing more people than I can count, I have found love and purpose, which is more than simply controlling my powers. I questioned it at the beginning, Katye and Raven can tell you about how I was back then, but whether or not it's worth it for the others affected by my presence, I would not forsake my past nor my future. I want, no, I WILL reach the level of power that my past self gained, AND have proper control of the Chaos within me."
I could feel a sense of pride and happiness from Echo at my words, which I could understand. When we first met, I often talked about wanting to relax and not do any work, but I showed her over time just how determined I was. My drive for power was always rooted in my desire to protect those that I cared about, including from myself when I learned of the danger that my power represented.
L'Naan smiled lightly and gave a slight nod, saying, "You all have been more my family than my actual one, and even the Maquis. If you want me to join you truly, I have no reason to refuse."
"Welcome to the…" as I said the words, there was a powerful ripple of mana as day shifted to night, "team."
What had been a paradise was replaced with a hellscape in an instant. The weight of the Yin mana was oppressive to the point that I could tell many of my spells would be weakened. Even Echo and L'Naan were affected, whether they realized it or not, since both of their shoulders drooped like a weight had been put on them. In the next moment, I understood why Echo had made a point of emphasizing the smell of Death as the revolting scent of rotting flesh assaulted my nose, making it hard to think about anything else. The food that had been in front of me was gone, along with the fire pit where Echo had been roasting the hog.
Neither of them seemed concerned as they stood up. Echo summoned a metal bow from her storage ring while L'Naan hurried over to her armor and started putting it on. When I stood up, the table and chairs where we had been sitting vanished to my surprise, making Echo smirk.
"I told you, nothing remains from the day to night," Echo said.
"I guess that I should be thankful that we weren't dumped on our butts then," I retorted. "Do you want me to do anything?"
"Just step in if you see L'Naan or me getting overwhelmed or surrounded. We've been managing alright by charging out into the woods and falling back to the tower as the horde approaches," Echo replied.
"No problem. Can I have one of the spears, so I don't need to waste my mana to create one?"
Echo nodded her head and a simple metal spear appeared in her hand. She passed it over to me, and I used the tip to prick my finger to draw a symbol on my left hand. A benefit of the oppressive Yin mana was that it made the price of the summoning spell negligible, as more rushed into my body to refill the void that it left behind before Ishu could even manifest.
A blue hand of pure Yin mana reached out of the void and grabbed onto something invisible so he could pull himself completely out. He was a tall, lanky man with sunken black eyes and a broken horn over his right brow. His chest and legs were covered in solid black armor and a pair wicked daggers hung at his waist. Looking at me, his body flickered and then once again when he took in the surroundings.
"True Dragon bloodline?!? Physical manifestation in the Yin Realm?!? How long has it been since you last summoned me?" Ishu could not help but ask, unable to hide his shock.
"Three years," I replied, and then chuckled as his body flickered a few more times.
"Don't mess with him too much," Echo said as a small leather sack appeared in her hand, which she tossed to me. "I'm going to engage the horde; Nyka!"
The small fox released a flash of light blue and was transformed into her battle form when it faded. Ishu's body flickered again when he saw Nyka and Echo charge into the dead forest.
"Divine Lunar Snow Fox?!?" he muttered, making me smirk.
"Who is that?" L'Naan asked as she walked up next to me in her armor and carrying her bat'leth.
"Ishu, a Lord Spirit that I defeated in my first Naru Darc trial. He's an asshole, but he has more knowledge about the magical side of things than the rest of us. Speaking of which, can you identify these herbs?" I asked, holding out the sack of herbs that Echo had given me.
Numbly, he took the bag from me and opened it, causing his body to flicker yet again, as he shouted, "Heaven-grade herbs?!? All of these must be over a thousand years old, and you just picked them and tossed them in some common sack?!?"
"Easy, Ishu… We didn't know what they were, just that they drew in a lot of natural mana, so we thought that they might be useful. I really haven't bothered studying herbology since I haven't seen them in our current universe. We're currently inside of a trial zone arranged by a God that watches over Katye's and my progress to recover the power of our past lives," I explained.
To my surprise, his body popped like a balloon, vanishing. The sack dropped to the ground while I just stared at where he had been, confused.
"I think I broke him," I said awkwardly, scratching my cheek.
"I'm really starting to wonder if joining you guys is really a good idea," L'Naan remarked as she shouldered her bat'leth.
I chuckled, "If it helps, I think he was just shocked by our rapid improvement, and the resources that are being invested in us."
"Whatever you say," L'Naan retorted, shaking her head, as she headed for the trees.
I pricked my finger again and resummoned Ishu. He reappeared in his usual fashion, but simply stood still, looking at me blankly. I chuckled a bit, but then started feeling bad after a minute or two as he remained unchanging.
"Look, Ishu, I told you long ago that you can't define me by the normal convention of your old world," I said.
"Clearly," he grumbled.
"I've got to keep an eye on them, so come with me and identify the herbs that I gave you before, specifically what they do and how to use them. I don't have any kind of alchemy set up and my best understanding of the principles is making Spirit Wine, so I need simple methods to use the herbs," I instructed as I headed in the direction that both Echo and L'Naan had gone.
Ishu picked up the bag that he had dropped before following me. Thanks to the environment, I could easily cast my Dark Vision spell without truly using any of my mana, just a bit of my focus to channel the spell. The dark world became mostly shades of black and blue, but there was a yellow figure among the blue, which would be L'Naan, since Echo was a Naru Darc like me and thus also dyed in the shade of blue. With our connection, I could sense if Echo was in danger, so I chose to stay close to L'Naan.
"I'm going to light things up for you," I warned, before waiting a moment then setting one of the trees on fire.
"Thanks," she replied as she slammed her bat'leth through the head of a zombie.
Ishu started explaining the different herbs while I watched over L'Naan. We sparred against each other regularly so I was aware of her skill with the weapon, but seeing her dispatching the zombies was something else. They might have been the traditional slow, lumbering zombies like the ones from the Night of the Living Dead, but with each swing of her bat'leth, she killed one by either decapitation or a spike through the top of their head. Her skill had improved greatly since the first time that we had sparred, and it was clear that these simple, repetitive movements were refining her skills further as she used less energy with each attack.
"So basically, any herbs involving elemental affinities should be eaten and then meditated upon, to direct the mana through the body, while anything for body refinement should be boiled in a large container of water, then one of us sits in it until our bodies absorb everything, at which point the water becomes clear again?" I questioned.
"A simplified explanation, but correct none the less," Ishu replied.
"Good, separate the elemental ones from the body refinement ones then give them to me," I instructed without taking my eyes off of L'Naan. "Would she be able to use the body refinement herbs without danger?"
"Why waste them on some Mortal?" Ishu scoffed with annoyance.
"Because she's joining my group, and Echo has a three-year jump on her, not to mention the fifteen years that Katye and I have been training."
"These herbs could increase your strength by three or four folds! It's a waste..."
"Ishu, I just woke up today after spending two months unconscious due to severe Soul damage, and I'm at roughly twenty-five percent of my normal state. L'Naan and Echo need these herbs more than I do," I said, cutting him off.
His body flickered once again as he muttered, "Twenty-five percent?!?"
I smirked and asked, "So, can she use them?"
"Yes, but the liquid will need to be diluted more. With your True Dragon bloodline, your body can handle the effects easier than a Mortal and an Apprentice Immortal practitioner," he replied numbly.
"Where would you place my strength?"
"The Soul damage makes it difficult to guess, but if what you said was true, and with your bloodline, I would estimate that you are on the Master or Elder rank... in fifteen years," he grumbled the last part.
"Really? I have a triple-elemental spell, Thunderstorm, which I thought was the symbol of a Grand Master, and then there is my Chaos Storm which I'm not sure how to quantify the elements it uses," I complained, making his body flicker a few times.
"While you may have a triple-elemental spell, your body needs to have a certain density of mana within it to truly hold the rank which is typically the easier requirement," he explained with annoyance.
"How long did it take for you to reach the Grand Master rank?"
"A hundred and eighty-five years, which was near the peak of advancing for most Sects and Clans prodigies, but that was due to the experiments that my master performed on my body rather than my true skill," he replied. "To reach your estimated strength, at your peak condition, would take geniuses fifty years minimum with natural resources being poured into them."
"I guess that makes me feel a little bit better," I chuckled.
He huffed with annoyance but chose not to comment further. The elemental affinity herbs I stored directly into my storage ring while the body refinement ones I kept in the sack before tucking them away into my ring with the rest. Although I kept most of my focus on L'Naan while he talked, I still remember what he recommended about the different herbs since there was only fifteen of them. All of them would be useful for Echo and L'Naan, but until L'Naan learned how to channel her internal mana properly, she could only use the body refinement herbs.
Something caught my attention. One of the zombies approaching L'Naan seemed different from the others, despite it looking like and moving like the others. If I had not been using my Dark Vision spell, I would not have noticed the slight difference with how the Yin mana flowed within its body. In most of the zombies, mana seemed to cycle throughout their bodies in a simple circle while this one's cycle had a secondary swirl at its head.
I did not trust it, so I channeled some of my mana into the spear and reformed the bottom to create two rods that stuck out perpendicularly to the shaft. With a simple throwing motion, I launched the spear at the weird zombie, increasing the speed and precision with the mana inside of it, and pinned it to the trunk of a tree.
"Good eye, that one has evolved into a Ghoul," Ishu remarked.
"A Ghoul?"
"When a reanimated corpse, like the Mortal is facing, devours enough mana from consuming living beings, they will recover their intelligence and be able to harness the full strength of their undead bodies, making them much more dangerous than their counterparts. They can only be destroyed by breaking the mana core within their heads, again making them more difficult to kill."
I hummed at his statement, wondering if this was the change that my involvement brought. It was too early to tell the impact that these Ghouls would bring, but even then, I doubted that this was all of the surprises ahead of us since they were not that much more dangerous to me. There was more coming in our future, I knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but I could only guess what would appear...