Chapter 114: Whispers of the Dao
Darius's eye's softened as he stared into the flames, "it was shortly after that realization that I was forced to start over," he murmured. "I began crafting my own cultivation technique—unlike any other. I sought true immortality… It was the only way I could justify the lives I'd taken and would still be need to take."
His hand drifted to Haku's head, absently scratching behind the fox's ears. "If I died, then what was the point of their deaths?" He leaned back, his eyes distant. "Childish, perhaps, but it was enough to drive me to embrace the Dao of Taiji."
Crelos shifted, curiosity evident as he leaned forward. "Dao? What's that?"
Darius considered his words carefully. "Think of the Dao as the hidden designs of existence itself," he began. "It's not just the rules governing magic or the laws binding the elements. The Dao is the origin, the pulse underlying every aspect of reality. Picture it as a river flowing through all things. From the distant stars wheeling through the heavens to the smallest blade of grass growing in the soil—everything moves in harmony with its current."
His gaze flicked to Crelos, gauging his understanding. "As cultivators, we don't merely manipulate the Dao; we strive to merge with it, to become part of that river so fully that we no longer resist its flow. Instead, we shape it from within. Where a mage might call upon fire or wind by drawing from mana, a cultivator who's attuned to the Dao of Fire or the Dao of Wind doesn't just wield these forces. They embody their essence, bending reality itself at its core."
"Magic taps into the forces and channels the power," he continued, "but the Dao allows cultivators to shift the principles behind those forces, to walk paths that redefine the rules themselves. You don't simply control fire—you become fire."
Crelos's eyes sparkled with fascination, his voice thick with wonder. "So… what Dao do you use now?"
Darius chuckled, a soft, almost wistful sound. "None, actually. There is no Dao here—at least not in the way I've known it. But you could say I'm still guided by my comprehension from the Dao of Taiji, even in this life."
Crelos's shoulders slumped slightly, though his gaze remained intent. He extended his hand toward the fire, pulling a flickering wisp into his palm, where it spiraled and gathered into a small, controlled flame. "But there has to be something—some unseen order governing the relationships between everything. It's got to be there, even if we haven't tapped into it with our current systems."
'He's already spinning new ideas,' Darius thought, amused. 'Reminds me of myself whenever I get the itch.'
Rising to his feet, Darius motioned for Haku to stay. "I think I'll call it a night."
He turned and started for the large double doors, pausing only briefly to call over his shoulder, "Come with me, Daemen."
Daemen's orb brightened, darting over to Darius's side. As the others watched him go, Haku's ears perked up. "Where are you headed?"
"I'm going to cultivate for the evening. Have the children continue their training in the morning; I'll join them by afternoon." With a final nod, Darius stepped through the doors, his robes flowing as he disappeared into the night.
Crelos lingered for a moment, deep in thought, before he reached into his pouch and pulled out a quill and a small book, his expression feverish with inspiration. "Sorry, Haku, but I think I'll retire too," he murmured, already lost in a flurry of ideas as he made his way out.
The ember-fox sighed, watching the door close behind them. He turned to Neko and Kahoon, stretching his fiery paws forward as he sank into a more comfortable position. "What do you think of Daemen?"
Pausing in his chewing, Neko tilted his head, his sharp eyes thoughtful. 'Neko like. Like more family.'
Haku rested his head on his paws, "hmm," snorting softly as he looked back into the flames, their flickering light dancing in his blue eyes.
----
Outside the lodge, Darius stood atop the steps, gazing at the artificial stars scattered across the Vault's ceiling. His mana sense unfurled, his vision flooded with the Vault's runic language, each symbol and line shifting in intricate patterns. Slowly, a small smile crossed his face.
"Something funny?"
"Right now, I'm looking at the Vault's runic language... and it doesn't hurt." Darius turned from the stars and began to descend the steps.
"Does it usually hurt?" Daemen's confusion was palpable.
"Usually."
"Being mysterious just makes you an ass, you know that, right?"
Darius shrugged, his gaze fixed above as Daemen's glowing orb floated in front of his face. "Why did you lie to Crelos?"
He waved the light away, a slight smirk on his lips. "I want him to figure it out himself. He reminds me of how I was when I was younger. So I want to see if he can do it."
Daemen hovered closer, his voice curious. "Do you think you could have discovered the Dao on your own back then?"
"Probably not," Darius admitted, the glow fading from his eyes as the intricate runic language of the Vault simmered in his mind. "But the Dao here… it's different. Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise me."
Darius's laughter echoed, his tone lighter than before, as they continued toward the Hatchery. Breaking through the treeline, he took in a deep breath, the earthy scent of the water and trees filling his senses. A satisfied smile touched his face. "Let's see how Ursie is doing."
"I'm sure she's happier now." Daemen darted out over the still surface of the expanded hatchery, which now stretched across a sprawling five kilometers.
"I'd be careful—"
Before Darius could finish, Ursie's massive form surged from the water, swallowing Daemen whole.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Darius muttered, "I don't know why he keeps provoking her."
With a splash, Ursie settled back into the water, her voice rumbling through the clearing, "Sorry! He knows I can't help it."
Daemen shot out from her side, his voice laced with mock indignation. "Can't I enjoy the water in peace? Why do I always have to end up viewing your insides, huh? Is this some strange hobby of yours?!"
Darius gave him a pointed look. "That's enough. Quit teasing her." He leaned down, resting his hand on Ursie's head, feeling the cold, smooth chitin beneath his fingers. "Feeling better?"
"Much. Thank you again; this new hatchery feels incredible," Ursie replied, her tone relaxed as she splashed a wave of water at Daemen.
After hearing from Tem about Ursie's discomfort, Darius had extended the hatchery into a sizable lake, with an expanded egg catch to allow Ursie the comfort she needed. She could finally lay her eggs without stress.
"No need to thank me. I should've noticed sooner," Darius said. 'Her intelligence is increasing.' He then touched his pouch, producing a generous amount of blue beast crystals. "I know these aren't quite the same, but they'll have to do until I can set up a regular food supply."
They talked a while longer, the conversation drifting as Daemen played around in the water. Eventually, Darius made his way toward the All-Room, Daemen following close behind. "So, what are we doing? I'm guessing I'm not just here to watch."
Inside the All-Room, Darius headed straight to the study, pushing open the door and entering with purpose. "I've decided it's time to stop having you bobbing around uselessly."
"Hey! I'm doing my best here..."
Darius rolled his eyes. "It's time to give you a body. But first, you need to decide what kind you want."
"A body? Wait—now?" Daemen's orb pulsed, almost as if he was taken aback.
Unrolling a scroll and stretching it across the desk, Darius nodded. "Why not? You can always change to a different one later. Now, I was thinking something like this…" He began sketching with precise strokes, each line bringing an idea to life. As the form took shape, Daemen's orb grew brighter and brighter, his excitement evident as he watched his potential body emerge on the page.
---
At the same time Darius was immersed in his sketching, far to the north on Gaia's supercontinent, a boundless frozen tundra lay under an unyielding sky, stretching across the horizon in all directions.
This desolate, ice-locked land sprawled so vast that even the most determined traveler would take decades to cross its entirety. Here, the elements reigned with ruthless dominance, with icy winds that tore across the landscape at speeds so fierce they instantly froze anything caught in their path.
In this unforgiving realm, only a few creatures dared to survive, each one uniquely evolved to withstand the brutal cold. Top among them, was a mana-beast known as the Tusk-Titan.
The Tusk-Titan towered at an intimidating height of nine meters, a monstrous wall of muscle and thick hide. Its body was covered in leathery, pale skin, marked by deep grooves and folds that hinted at its strength and age.
Hanging from its massive face were two colossal tusks, yellowed and sharp, extending down like jagged spears. Dripping with shards of ice, the tusks looked as though they could pierce through steel, their edges almost razor-sharp.
As a mana-beast born naturally with a mana-core, the Tusk-Titan's presence commanded the icy wasteland. This was a creature of pure elemental might, a Mana-Beast so powerful, it was easily able to withstand the attacks of the two manaforged knights.
Lady Clarke yelled over the howling winds, "How long are we supposed to keep this up?!" She slammed her hammer down on the beast's hide, her steel bouncing off its impenetrable flesh.
"For as long as it takes! Stay focused!" Marcus shouted, leaping back as a blast of water and ice erupted from the beast's maw, narrowly missing him.
The ground shook underfoot, their red and yellow auras flaring against the Tusk-Titan's relentless power.
"Stoccata!" Marcus lunged forward, his rapier blazing with fire mana as he drove it toward the beast. The freezing winds shrank the flame as it struck, barely scratching the creature.
"Gaia's Lament!" Clarke's aura flared. She slammed her hammer into the ground, causing the earth beneath the beast to sink, trapping it momentarily. Hundreds of earth spears then erupted, crashing into its massive frame.
"This is impossible! Where's your wife?!" Clarke gasped, her yellow aura flickering as she struggled to catch her breath.
The ground exploded with a deafening crack as the Tusk-Titan burst free. Before Marcus could respond, a shadow suddenly engulfed the battlefield.
"Watch out." A calm, powerful voice rang through the storm.
BOOM! Another, even larger Tusk-Titan crashed down on top of the first, sending shockwaves through the ice and snow, blasting outwards with a bone-rattling force as the two titans collided.
Clarke raised her aura, shielding herself from the onslaught of flying debris. "Are you insane?!"
Through the blinding snow and howling winds, she squinted, catching sight of a massive green blade of mana slicing down like a falling guillotine. In an instant, the two Tusk-Titans were cleaved in half, their hulking forms reduced to four motionless masses in the snow.
"Don't be dramatic—you're perfectly fine." Lady Kinneman descended from the sky, her fur-lined pelts billowing around her as she touched down, rolling her eyes. Her gaze shifted to a mound of snow nearby. "Quit stalling and retrieve their cores."
A muffled voice called out from under the mound. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay here a bit longer. Have Clarke do it."
With a sharp swipe of her arm, Lady Kinneman sent a gust of wind slicing through the snow, revealing Marcus crouched over his smoldering blade, trying to absorb its heat.
"COLD!" Marcus bellowed, flaring his aura as he leapt to his feet, casting a heated glare at his wife. "Right away, my love." With a grumble, he trudged through the deep snow toward the remains of the mana-beasts, muttering under his breath as he began the task.
Lady Clarke summoned a thick cloak and hood, draping it over herself as she joined Marcus, bracing against the cold. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Seriously, why does your father even live out here?"
"He doesn't like people," Lady Kinneman replied, her greying auburn hair hanging calm despite the icy wind that whipped around them.
"Honestly, Judith, I'm surprised we're even here. He doesn't exactly like you either." Marcus grunted, his torso half-buried inside the Tusk-Titan's hulking corpse as he worked.
Wiping blood from her cheek, Clarke glanced up at Judith, raising a brow. "Daddy issues?"
Judith sighed but smirked. "You could say that. When you have over fifty siblings, it's a little hard to stay on top of the list of daddy's favorites."
"So why do you think he'll help?" Clarke pressed, eyes narrowing.
Marcus pulled a massive, still-pulsing azure mana-core from the beast, his gaze shifting between the silent Judith and Clarke. "Because he loved his grandson," he answered, storing the crystal away and moving on to the second corpse. "I'll handle the core. Cover me."
Clarke glanced between the two, a strange heaviness settling in her chest. She flared her aura to shield Marcus from the elements, casting a wary look at Judith. 'You better hurry up, boy. I don't think they plan to wait forever.'
---
Darius's eyes glowed as he studied the scroll, a faint azure light radiating from them. "This is perfect. What do you think?"
Daemen's orb pulsed with excitement. "Pretty sure the kids are going to be terrified. I love it."
Darius rolled his eyes, scanning the design one last time before rolling up the scroll and standing. "Let's see if we have everything we need."
As they moved toward the resource room, Daemen buzzed around him, his energy like an eager flame. "How long do you think it'll take to build?"
"If we've got all the materials, it'll still take time. Crafting each component individually, then putting it all together... I'd estimate a few months. And keep in mind, I can't dedicate every waking moment to this."
"Hey, I've waited seventeen years; what's a few more months?" Daemen replied, his light flickering with a grin-like brightness.
Darius opened the door to the resource room, greeted by a dense wave of rich scents and swirling mana. The air was thick with the essence of rare materials, potent and brimming with energy. Stepping over to the lone table in the center, he placed his hand on the memory tome, murmuring a single word: "Vyrium."