Rethys approached the giant enchanted door before him and rested his hand on it. And closing his eyes, he focused on the complex flows of ether that decorated the slab of metal, tracing their directions to try and note their beginnings and ends.
"Found the center circle." He said as he peered into the complex enchantments. "Are you absolutely sure I can disenchant this?"
He was hesitant to try and apply his magic to the object before him. For even though he recognized its runes from what Sevi had taught him, the sheer power of the whole ensemble gave him a feeling of extreme danger. It had none of the immaculate intricacy of the enchantments that once imprisoned Sevi, instead bearing dense, concentrated power. Rethys felt that the slightest touch to the door would spark some extreme reaction.
"I understand your reservations and how this door must seem to your senses, but this is no issue. No matter how etherically-charged it is, none of that energy will harm us if we handle it properly." Sevi explained.
Rethys grunted in annoyance yet still went through with it, and the two promptly got to work on the enchanted metal. And from there it didn't take long for their work to be done, though they had to then wait for the door's energy stores to dissipate through the leak the two created.
"It can't be this easy." Rethys exclaimed as he saw the door slowly but gradually losing the energy that powered its enchantments.
"Sometimes it is. Unlike most other magical installations we have gone through by now, this one needs an external power source, probably a collection of etherstones somewhere on the other side of the door. Now that we have severed the link, we just need to wait."
And so silence reigned as the two got to waiting, an endeavor which for one of them quickly became deathly boring. Rethys had a dozen things to do, even standing still, from experimenting with his magic to pondering one of the hundred other things that he had on his mind.
Yet Sevi seemingly had nothing to do, as it didn't take long for her to break the silence and spark some conversation.
"You know, the powers of your element truly are impressive. From its ability to impede and counter magic to its affinity with souls, all of it is so very novel and groundbreaking. The implications alone are already overwhelming, I simply cannot imagine what we would unlock with further study." Sevi began.
"I don't get it. Is it really that unusual? I thought all mages could feel the ether around them." Rethys asked.
"Us normal mages can only sense the concentrations of ambient ether and use it to tell if magic is or was in our vicinity. Know that while you can walk unperturbed in the dark with the help of your senses, I, despite my extensive power, see only darkness. It may seem underwhelming to you but know that your abilities to sense ether so accurately, from across such distances and through solid matter no less are completely unique. And I simply cannot wait to discover what other unique feats it can accomplish!" Sevi revealed
"You're exaggerating. If what you and my master told me is true, then Origin elementals were around since forever and my element won't just 'change all magic as we know it' as you keep repeating." Rethys said, doing his best impression of Sevi's enthusiastic voice.
"Oh, but it would. Though it would take years for us to unlock its secrets after escaping this place, pioneering a new method would nonetheless be exhilarating. If magic has not changed much since my country's fall, which of course it would not if that Titanic bastard and his friends had any say in it, then I am of the opinion that we would revolutionize the field of magical study with your powers!" The Blood mage almost shouted in excitement.
Rethys recognized the research craziness instantly, and this discovery only cemented his previous observation that this temperament was universal in all mages. He couldn't imagine himself becoming like this, after all, he considered himself of the skeptical and reserved sort.
'Wait...'
"Hold your horses. What do you mean 'us'." He retorted.
"Hm? Oh do not think for even a moment that I would miss such an opportunity. Even as I am now, I remain a mage, and the mere thought of losing out on a chance to carve my name into the annals of history horrifies me. This more than anything should convince you of my goodwill towards you, Rethys. If you cannot trust me, then trust my passion for magic and my pride as a mage." Sevi stated.
"Even as you are now, you say." Rethys repeated. "You won't be doing much research stuck in that gem of yours now will you?"
"I do not plan on simply accepting the fate these accursed bastards forced upon me and many others. I refuse. I will be free of this stone in time. And if you truly wish to know how, I plan on reconstructing my material body using magic. It will take time, years or perhaps even decades, but what are those before the centuries I have awaited thus far." Sevi revealed.
"I see." Rethys nodded. "But can magic do something like that?"
"Not that I am aware of, unfortunately." The Blood mage replied. "But your mastery over souls, however inexperienced at the moment, as well as the fact that these cultists can resist such powers gives me hope for the future. Even if it takes a long time, I can wait."
"Not going to try and take over someone else's body?" Rethys asked. "Not trying to take a jab at you or anything, just saying that there's a lot of people whose absence wouldn't be felt."
"No." Sevi uttered in response.
"No?"
"I refuse to do such a thing. The only reason I stooped so low as to attempt it on you is because of desperation. I am not seeking your forgiveness for what I did, though I am glad we can put this behind us."
"Yeah..." Rethys sighed while glaring darkly at the door in front of him.
Some of the enchantments dotting the large chunk of Endrasum were weakening, others began flickering like a dying flame. And Rethys could feel his senses beginning to break through the door, though not yet enough to truly see anything. It was almost time.
"Any idea what we'll meet inside?" He asked.
"More cultists, that much is for sure. Perhaps they are like the ones we have already seen, or different in some way. We remain in the catacombs, the unexpected lies around every corner.
"Does it not, Rethys?"
"Yeah..." Rethys sighed again, this time glaring awkwardly. "It's almost time, any moment now the door will run out of e-"
"You know, I believed that were dead there, that our luck had run out mere moments after we began. For I knew that I had nothing in my current arsenal to so much as deflect a mirage revenant, one of the most dangerous creatures haunting the streets of the surface city." Sevi sighed.
"One of the most dangerous?" Rethys wondered.
He remembered seeing presences in his visions of the surface that were much, much more terrifying than even Kithil.
"Oh yes. Specialized in illusions and trickery, you will never see their greatsword coming. I assume it was their power over the Mind element that allowed that Kithil to come back to her senses, much like myself actually. Though for me, my imprisonment helped preserve my sanity." The Blood mage explained.
"I see."
"The absolute most dangerous type of daemon, if you are wondering, would be a slagbeast, or its human-manifested counterpart the slagblade. A creature capable of leveraging obscenely extraordinary affinities of Earth and Fire that allow it to manipulate molten rock, a feat impossible for nearly every other living thing on Tevohs." Sevi further elaborated.
"That does sound very dangerous." Rethys commented as he kept an eye on the door's energy levels.
"But they are highly specialized creatures, and the only ones that remain are the results of failed summonings, and thus lack the intelligence necessary to properly use their powers. Last I checked, there are four slagblades on the surface, and all of them are sitting unmovingly in pits of magma. They are however slowly melting their way through the earth, and may reach us eventually-"
"What?!" Rethys jolted upwards, turning his sight to the ceiling.
The subterranean rock didn't actually impede his senses any more than open air did, allowing him to see quite far into the earth. Though he couldn't see between levels of the catacombs for some reason.
"In a thousand years or so." Sevi continued with a chuckle. "Do not worry, I believe we have time. And, I think this is enough to repay that scare you gave me earlier."
Shaking his head in exasperation, Rethys continued to gaze into the ceiling and the walls around him, into the stone of the hallways and the rock behind it. He truly liked the ability to see through walls so easily, and though it could only reveal objects' reflection in the ether, such as their souls or magic, it remained a very handy ability.
'I wonder how I can use that once we get out of here.' He pondered inwardly.
"Oh yeah that reminds me, I've seen the stone here fix itself-" Rethys was about to ask when he was interrupted by the door fully losing its energy and disengaging its locking mechanisms.
He paused for a second, turning his sights towards and through the door, seeing the single long hallway that lay beyond. The ether inside was stagnant, sitting in unnerving stillness and reeking of a strange, completely new scent.
"Hm? Something wrong Rethys?"
"We can get in now." He announced. "But I don't like what's inside."
"Very well. Eyes open and ears sharp. There is no telling what may encounter within." Sevi warned as she cast a spell towards the door, prompting it to slide open.
Manifesting his Bloodstone dagger, Rethys stepped forth, crossing the threshold that separated this section from the rest of the world. The ether's strangeness now fully enveloped him, making him feel on edge almost instantly.
Inside he saw a long corridor stretching forth as far as the eye could see, and to its sides were doors, normal-seeming ones of various sizes and shapes. Some were open and others were closed, and of the latter, some blocked Rethys' senses and others didn't. Others still were completely torn off their hinges, their bent forms decorating the corridor outside.
"This place really makes no sense." Rethys whispered warily as he turned his senses to the rooms on his right and left.
From there it only took moments for him to see something he was never meant to, making his blood run cold.