Chapter 48: Echoes of the Past
As morning light streamed through the forest canopy, Darius walked quietly, his thoughts occupied. 'I feel bad having Haku do all the leg work,' he thought, stepping carefully over roots and underbrush. 'It's not like I can compete with his senses.' His presence melded with the forest, unnoticed and seamless, as he navigated the unfamiliar terrain.
'A city?' Darius's brow furrowed as his mind raced. 'Staying secluded has been simple with the Vault for these past four years, but it's no help with my current bottleneck.' His mind drifted back to the resource room, the sting of disappointment still fresh. Resources containing all five elements in high purity were exceedingly rare—so rare that even his ancestors hadn't secured one.
Darius reached for his shoulder, fingers grazing the circular brooch pinned over his armor. Etched with runes along its border, the small metal piece was a work of intricate craftsmanship. 'Guess it's finally time to use this.' Touching the brooch, a dark green cloak unfurled from it, enveloping him. As it draped over his form, his appearance shifted; his face and stature morphed until he resembled a skinny old man.
Now, as his thoughts wandered, walking through the woods, he was the spitting image of his former self, Xue Feng.
----
Four years earlier, in the sprawling silence of the Vault, Darius's emotions echoed loudly. He was alone, surrounded by the emptiness of the All-Room, a day removed from the catastrophe that took his parents. Grief and fury churned within him, each wave of sorrow sharply punctuated by a tremble that shook his slender body.
Haku still lay curled in peaceful slumber, oblivious to the turmoil swirling around him. Darius watched him, a brief flash of envy passing through his tired eyes before his gaze hardened and his fists clenched. "Rainslif Crowley," he muttered under his breath, the name a venomous whisper that fueled his simmering desire for revenge.
Darius began to pace the All-room, his gaze sweeping between the six doors, each promising unknown aid. After a while, he stood before the last door, the artifacts room.
With a firm resolve etched on his haggard features, he muttered under his breath, "I need to get stronger, now." On this day, his usual curiosity was sharpened into a pointed, desperate need for power.
Darius was anxious as he stepped through the doorway, the air inside shimmered with a somber, magical aura, the walls lined with ethereal lights that cast long, solemn shadows across the floor.
The room was arranged with three pedestals, each hosting a primordial artifact and an accompanying scroll. As Darius approached the first pedestal, his fingers hesitated before touching the cold metal of a plaid brooch.
The circular piece of metal, the size of his palm, was intricately crafted with a removable metal pin. A scroll lay in front of it, detailing its history and powers. Darius read aloud, his voice echoing slightly in the large room, "Brooch of the Star-Baron, Discovered by Culven Valdene; Tier 7 Diamond Knight, inside the remains of a Devourer Worm... grants the ability to change the appearance of any object, living or inanimate, within certain size limits. The effect is infinite if worn, or limited by distance if not." His eyes widened at the possibilities. "This could be useful," he muttered, his mind racing with possibilities. "Star-Baron? I'll have to look into that name."
Next, he came across a red, palm-sized, wooden barrel. The Barrel of Monkeys, as it was called, seemed almost comical with its simple construction and absurd name. The scroll revealed it was bought from a beggar with a mental disease and would release three monkeys to assist the user once thrown. Darius chuckled despite himself, the somber mood momentarily lifted. "Monkeys, huh? Could be distracting... or annoying," he pondered, imagining scenarios where such a bizarre item could tilt the scales in a conflict.
The final treasure was a black orb, smooth and heavy in his hands. The Mysterious Black Orb, as he decided to call it, absorbed perpetual mana but had no known use or purpose yet. It was found by Warwick Valdene during an expedition in the eastern seas. Darius turned the orb over in his hands, feeling its weight and the thrum of mana within. "A mystery then... absorbing mana but to what end?" his curiosity piqued yet frustrated by the lack of answers.
He set the orb down gently, his gaze lingering on the three items. Each held potential, each a tool that might one day aid him in avenging his parents. But more than tools, they were links to his family's past, a family he was now the last of.
Darius's breath fogged in the quiet of the Vault, a visible shiver coursing through him as he absorbed the enormity of his solitude. Shadows flickered under the somber light, the artifacts looming like silent guardians around him.
His hand hovered, then decisively grasped the brooch, the barrel, and finally the orb. No longer just relics, they were now instruments of his deep-seated resolve for revenge.
Returning to where Haku slept, Darius felt a rage settle over him. He wasn't just a son mourning his parents; he was a Valdene, and he would find a way to navigate this path of revenge and duty. The artifacts, his newfound tools, were but the first step on a long journey ahead.
----
As Darius, now disguised as Xue Feng, meandered through the forest, his thoughts were interupted as he caught glimpses of Haku's Ghost-fire form flickering in the distance. To any onlooker, the space would appear empty, but to Darius, Haku was a vibrant blaze of blue fire, darting through the trees—an unmistakable presence.
A faint smile briefly touched his lips.
From afar, Haku honed in on the familiar cloak fluttering through the woods, his keen nose guiding him. Just as he was about to call out, he halted, his head cocking slightly. Confusion flickered across his features as he stared at the old man donned in Darius's cloak.
'Who is this?' Haku thought, his presence completely masked, making even his steps silent upon the leaves. Stealthily approaching the stranger, who remained oblivious to his approach, Haku edged right up to the old man's face. He sniffed cautiously, the familiar scent of Darius mingling in the air, possibly clinging to the cloak. 'Smells like Darius, but why would he...?'
"BOO!"
Haku was caught off guard, so much that he scrambled back and rolled onto his back, yelping in surprise.
Darius burst into laughter at the sight, holding his stomach as he watched Haku's flustered reaction. "Your face!... Thank you, Haku... I really needed that," he managed to say between his fits of laughter.
"Darius? Is that you?" Haku asked, scrambling back to his paws, his tone tinged with annoyance.
"Who else would recognize you and know your name?"
As Darius continued to chuckle, Haku, not quite over the shock, swiped a pawful of dirt towards him. "Shouldn't an old man like you have a bit more dignity?" he quipped, eyeing Darius with a mock-serious glare.
"Old man?!" Darius abruptly stopped laughing, pointing at Haku with a flushed face. "Age has nothing to do with youth! And shouldn't you be showing a bit more respect to your elders?"
Turning away from Darius with his tail held high, the massive fox kicked up dirt with his back legs as he strutted off. "Didn't you know? In this world, this is how we show respect to our elders," Haku teased, his voice dripping with feigned sincerity as a smirk played across his face.
"Little brat, get back here!" Darius, still in the guise of an old man, flickered from sight, prompting a burst of laughter from Haku as they both dashed deeper into the woods.
Catching up to Haku, Darius casually climbed onto his back and settled down, asking nonchalantly, "Did you find the site?"
"Hey! You know I hate it when you ride me!" Haku protested, starting to buck in an attempt to dislodge Darius.
Slapping the top of Haku's head lightly, Darius retorted, "Consider it payback for the old man joke. Otherwise, it's male animals only in the Beast-Room for you."
Haku instantly ceased his protest and settled into a smooth trot through the forest. "I found a swamp following the scent from those knights. The trail branched off from the village after the massacre, I knew this, big brother, because they carried the stench of blood with them."
Pleased with Haku's report, Darius relaxed further into his makeshift seat. "Continue," he encouraged.
Haku's eyes narrowed and his lip curled slightly. Abruptly, he quickened his pace, causing Darius to jolt back to maintain his balance. "They didn't go far from the village, but I tracked the scent of the Carrion Beard to a swamp," Haku said, his tone turning somber as he mentioned the swamp.
Darius, sensing the change in tone, asked, "What is it? Is there a problem?"
"The swamp... it made me feel... small, almost insignificant. It's hard to explain, but it felt like I shouldn't be there," Haku confessed, a hint of unease in his voice.
Darius considered this carefully. "It's likely just your animal instincts reacting. In the future, try to harness this sensation, see if you can manipulate it to your advantage. For now, let's keep moving, but stay alert and cautious."
"Did Wu Chen have...Demon instincts?"
"Yes, and he learned to harness those instincts, refining his senses to such a degree that he could detect danger before it struck, making sneak attacks against him impossible."
Haku nodded intensely, his expression set with determination as he concentrated, vanishing his presence entirely.
Darius chuckled, well aware of Haku's growing fascination and rivalry with his former disciple, Wu Chen. Haku frequently asked Darius to recount the story of Wu Chen, how it began when he was merely a crow that gained spiritual awareness by following Xue Feng. A single crow within a massive flock, scavenging from the countless battlefields Darius left behind during a month of slaughter he enacted during his youth. This mundane beginning marked the start of an extraordinary journey.
After awakening, Wu Chen traversed the realms of Penglai, claiming the lives of mortals and making a notorious name for himself in the Demon world. His path of cultivation was fueled by the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra, which he discovered on the corpse of one of Xue Feng's fallen enemies.
After developing the original Taiji Talisman Technique, Xue Feng embarked upon a pilgrimage to balance his Karma, stumbling upon Wu Chen. Recognizing a shared Karma between them, Darius took it upon himself to guide Wu Chen, ultimately accepting him as his only disciple.
As the pair continued to travel, a two-tailed Blaze-Cat perched in a tree ahead caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent and fixed its gaze on the approaching form of the elderly Darius. Poised to pounce, the cat hesitated, tilting its head with a flicker of intelligence in its eyes. The sight of a seated human seemingly floating through the forest like a cannonball caught the creature by surprise. It missed its chance to strike, watching bewildered as Darius sped past.
'For Haku to react that way, there must be something significant there.' Glancing at the sky, Darius gauged the position of the sun and asked, "How far now?"
"We're almost upon it. You'll smell it soon enough."
Darius's azure eyes flared, his vision piercing far ahead, abruptly halted by an imposing sight. His Arcane Gaze stripped the landscape bare, slicing through trees and rolling terrain to reveal a vast expanse of swampland sprawling before him.
"Slow down, and stay in your current form," Darius commanded, his voice firm, leaving no room for debate as he leapt from Haku's back and jogged beside him.
'The smell here is suffocating, it's as if the air is drenched in death,' Haku conveyed his thoughts through a mental message to Darius, choosing not to speak aloud.
'Do you need to stay back?'
'No, it's just that my sense of smell won't be of much help here.'
As Darius and Haku navigated the changing terrain, the ground underfoot became increasingly damp and yielding for him. They slowed to a cautious pace. Cresting a hill, they paused, taking in the sight of the sprawling swamp spread out before them.
'Seems like my Arcane Gaze won't be of much use here either,' Darius noted, the usual intensity in his azure eyes softening as he surveyed the swamp. 'The water here blurs everything; it just looks like a swirling mess.' He glanced at Haku, pondering he asked, 'If I were to ride on you, would you sink?'
'When I fully engage my ghost-fire form, my ability allows me to completely bypass interacting with my surrounding while still maintaining traction. But that doesn't extend to anyone else, so yeah, I would sink.'
Darius's eyebrows, now white, lifted in mild surprise. 'Well, look at you, actually paying attention to my lectures. And here I thought I was just talking to the air.'
'I listen!' Haku protested, playful yet earnest. 'It's just that when you lecture, it's so soothing I can't help but fall asleep. It's literally irresistible.'
As they moved deeper into the swamp, Darius and Haku kept their mental conversation going, sharing observations and the occasional joke to lighten the mood. The terrain grew increasingly treacherous, forcing Darius to leap from patches of dryer land scattered between murky pools of water. Meanwhile, Haku, in his ghost-fire form, floated effortlessly above the swamp's surface, his form barely interacting with the physical world around him.
The further they ventured, the more the landscape opened up before them, transforming dramatically as they approached the heart of the swamp. Trees thinned out and the solid ground gave way to a vast expanse of dark water. A large, open circle, about 40 meters across, appeared, devoid of any vegetation or visible land, filled with opaque, dark water that hinted at unknown depths.
Haku's voice echoed in Darius's mind, tinged with a reverence that matched the scene. 'I can sense an immense amount of death here, this has to be the spot."
Darius surveyed the scene, his gaze lingering on the still, dark waters that seemed to swallow light whole. Turning to Haku, he asked, half-joking yet curious, "I don't suppose you can swim?"