Toren Daen
I lounged in the bough of a tall tree, feeling as the cold wind rushed through the bare branches. My assimilated part-asuran physique and affinity for fire mana protected me from the chill, however.
Far below me, a small, rodent-like mana beast with greenish fur was burrowing in the dirt. I watched it from far above, twirling a small glass vial through my gloved fingers.
The little bottle of corruption glistened like dark ink as I held it, the low light of dawn absorbed into its murky surface. The tarry substance was slow to shift within its container, and it gave off a roiling, putrid sensation through the mana.
I'd been given a hundred of these vials, and had been tasked with corrupting ten AA-class mana beasts within the next week, alongside whatever else I could infect. When the time came, teams of mages would come through here with beastwards, the magic within each dark crystal calling to the corrupted mana beasts.
Usually, it was an entire team of mid-tier mages that were sent out into the Beast Glades, tasked with quickly and efficiently trapping and infecting mana beasts for the eventual Beast Horde. But Cylrit, the asshole he was, decided to send me out solo.
Truth be told, I thought, looking down on the little rodent beast far below as it dug at the dirt, That was probably the best decision. I'm familiar with hunting in forests, I thought, remembering the Clarwood Forest. It felt like an age ago that I'd survived in those wilds, training my magic and combat forms to prepare for what was to come in this world.
Within that forest, I'd quickly changed from prey to predator, standing at the top of the pecking order. Now I was in a similar situation as I watched from above like a hawk.
If Cylrit had sent me with a team, I had no doubt I'd be hampered in my abilities to not only do what he demanded, but also complete my own plans.
As if on cue, I felt a slight weave through the ambient mana. The intent of beasts was more… blunt than that of humans. There was far less nuance in each pulse through the air.
But bloodlust? The need to kill? That was just as fervent as any mage's King's Force I'd ever experienced.
Another mana beast burst from the ground where the rodent had been digging, surging high into the air. The rodent didn't even have time to scream in surprise before it was swallowed in a single bite, a large gullet crunching and chomping on its body.
The mana beast that had emerged from the earth shook itself as it settled down. It looked somewhat like a cross between a boar and an armadillo. Thick tusks emerged from the front of its pointed snout, and ridged plates of earth surrounded it in an armorlike shell. It snorted and pawed at the ground, sniffing at where its prey had just been.
The thing was about as large as me, and if I were to give it a rating, I'd wager it was B-class at least. Maybe A-class if I was feeling generous.
I exhaled, watching my breath mist on the air, before clenching my hand around the bottle of corruption I'd been fidgeting with. It was time to get to work.
I rolled off the bough of the tree I'd been perched on, allowing gravity to claim me. The ground–thirty feet below–rushed up to meet me as I plummeted toward the mana beast.
It didn't notice me, of course. Why would it? I'd been concealing my presence expertly, and at this level, I didn't even need to use ambient mana.
The boar-armadillo was still busy sniffing the ground when my fist–coated in a shroud of sound–crashed against its earth-armored skull from directly above. I'd held back the force, of course, but the vibrating wave that traveled through the mana beast made it stumble and list to the side, snarling weakly as it was knocked nearly unconscious.
I hit the ground without a drop of noise. I tossed the vial of corruption to the side, grasping it with my telekinesis and allowing it to hover nearby. I followed that up with a quick pull of psychokinetic force on the stumbling mana beast. The creature toppled onto its back as my magic pulled one of its legs out from under it, turning it into a tangle of stocky limbs. The monster flailed weakly, its fear stinking through the ambient mana as it struggled to remain awake.
I walked over slowly, apologizing to the mana beast within the depths of my mind. I doubted the following process would be pleasant, and I bore it no ill will.
Strengthening my body with mana, I loomed over the monster, forcing it still as I grasped at its jaw. Its limbs flailed weakly, and its large claws–likely designed to dig through hardened stone–crashed harmlessly off my telekinetic shroud as it struggled to free itself.
Using my superior strength, I forcefully pinned the monster to the frozen earth beneath me. My hands pried open the monster's jaws as its beady eyes darted around in wild terror. Its lifeforce hammered in my ears.
The vial of corruption hovered over, outlined in shimmering white. With the barest effort of will, the cork popped off, revealing the sickly concoction to the air. I could smell it: a stench somewhere between oil and deep black smoke invaded my nostrils.
The monster beneath me struggled harder, seeming to understand somewhere in its primitive mind the doom that was coming for it.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly, looking the beast in the eyes. Then the glass vial tipped in the air, the black sludge pouring out like tar. It dripped like black molasses into the mana beast's throat.
The creature struggled at first, but as it was forced to swallow the horrid syrup, its movements began to slow. I hesitantly released the monster, pressing a hand to its soft underbelly right where its heart was.
I quested out with my heartfire, feeling as the corruption spread throughout the monster's system. The moment the sludge had hit the mana beast's stomach, a chain reaction had started.
I felt slightly sick to my stomach as I sensed the change occurring in grim detail. Somewhat similar to how the blithe plague spread through its victim's mana channels, the black particles of sludge created a cascading wave of corruption through the mana beast's flesh.
The sludge only needed to reach the creature's mana core. I watched with grim detachment as the pure mana within was tainted black. And from there, it spread like wildfire.
Not unlike my own assimilated body, each cell in a mana beast's physique was deeply reinforced with mana. Mana streamed from the monster's core, each bit tainted dark. This corrupting concoction attacked each of the assimilated particles of mana like a virus, infecting them and continuing the process.
A few minutes went by as I meticulously observed the change spread throughout the mana beast's body in real-time. Cell by cell, mana particle by mana particle, this beast was tainted with the black touch of the Vritra. Its dark brown fur gained accents of oily black. The earthen armor it bore took on a color not unlike the darkest shale as the touch of the basilisk overrode its body.
But it wasn't a true change of physique, as my own Sculpting had been. No, this was a blunt half-measure. The boar-armadillo's heartfire squeezed with agony as its core shuddered, the organ bearing the brunt of the corruption. If I focused through my own lifeforce, I could feel as the Beast Core within slowly eroded away under the effect of the decay-aspected mana.
That's probably why corrupted beasts almost never have beast cores, I thought, feeling a pang of pity for the monster as its legs kicked absently. A stream of dark froth trailed from its gullet as the transformation took hold. The corruption eats away at the core itself. And once the creature dies, what's left of the core breaks apart completely.
It was a cruel, cruel transformation. Through my own medical expertise and the probing touch of my heartfire, I could guess at the deep agony this corruption must have caused this monster. It was bound to die anyway once its core fully eroded, too.
It likely took a mana beast of exceptional power–S-class or higher–to resist the core-degrading effects of this concoction.
That was why the Beast Core of the corrupted Elderwood Guardian survived, I assumed.
The boar-armadillo's struggles lessened as exhaustion overtook it. Its heartfire pulsed weakly, telling me of its weariness.
The cold wind bit into my cheek as I stared down at the corrupted mana beast.
I'm sorry I cannot give you even a moment to rest, I told the creature, closing my eyes, But I can't afford to stop now.
I fell into the detached state I always did as I threaded my heartfire through the monster's body, agitating it as I called for the creature to heal the corruption. I started at the source of it all: the monster's beast core.
Within, dark motes of pure mana radiated outward as they were constantly turned, perpetuating the monster's corruption. I called to the monster's lifeforce, pushing it to deny this.
I fell into my Acquire Phase as I did so, heightening my connection to the fire of my soul. As my own heartfelt call to the beast's inherent aether increased, so too did the driving force that attempted to wash away the touch of the basilisk in the monster.
It helped that the 'attention,' per se, of the dark Vritra-tinged mana diverted as my Phoenix Will rose to the surface, seeking to clash and snuff it out. Like two apex predators meeting in the center of a grassy field, even this residue of the basilisk acted to confront my own mana.
The beast crooned weakly as the corruption of its body shifted. I grit my teeth, using this opportunity to try and heal its core. Not unlike how I'd healed Seth's blood sickness, with the primary driving force distracted, I could shore up the issues underneath.
I'd never been able to outright heal mana cores before, but I didn't truly need to. I simply needed to purify the blackened mana within that perpetuated the corruption. That was my truest goal.
I felt as the beast's mana slowly shifted in tinge, my healing having the needed effect. As I agitated the monster's core, it naturally filtered out the horrid impurities within, shifting it back toward the natural, pure mana of its race.
But then the core shuddered and cracked, my heartfire touch too forceful. I grit my teeth, wincing as the monster cried out in horrid pain. Its mana began to stream from it, abandoning the beast as its core slowly dissolved.
I stepped back as the mana beast slowly died, looking down on it with remorse. I sighed, aiming a finger at its writhing body.
A beam of plasma exited the digit, searing a perfect hole through the creature's head and putting it out of its misery. As the twitching of its limbs stilled, I closed my eyes, counting to ten in my head as I let my Acquire Phase simmer back into my core.
I'd improved my healing abilities tremendously as I worked to try and ease the pains of the Plaguefire Incursion, but this was something I'd never tried to do before. I needed to be able to do this, though: for the future of this world and what I hoped to accomplish.
One of the first avenues I'd determined I needed to take to intervene in this world was always regarding the Legacy. Cecilia's reincarnation felt inevitable: with Tessia's capture, it would only be a matter of time.
But what if I looked a bit further back? Tessia was only captured in the original canon because the Vritra could track her. Track her from her corrupted Elderwood Guardian's Will. But with my abilities…
This mana beast may have been my first test subject, but it would not be my last. It would be a long, long week in this forest.
—
A few days later, I lounged around a small flickering fire on the forest floor. The orange flames crackled and popped as they tossed their sparks into the air like children throwing confetti, unaware of the world and still bearing their burning innocence.
Around me, frostflies glimmered in intermittent flashes of deep blue, casting the winter glade in a cold light. Far in the distance, I could hear the calls of ice wolves as they stalked some unfortunate prey.
I'd spent my time darting around the Glades, infecting mana beasts and trying to cleanse others. Each night I camped on the ground, allowing myself a small bit of rest as this week dragged on.
I'd made some progress in my quest to heal a beast core from corruption, but I'd failed far more than I'd succeeded. It left me feeling uncertain and worried. Not for the first time, I found myself questioning if I'd be able to succeed in my goals.
I rolled the dwarven puzzle dodecahedron through my hand, humming a somber tune that called my intent forward to the fore. I'd managed to work my way handily through the little puzzle these past few days, and I'd put myself near seventy percent completion. The little glyph shone brightly in nearly every spot.
My melancholy coated my mood like a mourning shroud as I inspected the burnished steel. Such a small thing, I thought grimly, To keep me held back.
I was drawn from my reverie, however, as I felt my bond with Aurora gradually rekindle. The Unseen World washed across my vision, coating the forest around me in a shade of mist.
Aurora's phantom form sat across the fire, blinking as her mind gradually came into focus. I smiled warmly, glad to see my bond awake again at last. Her very presence helped lift some of the darkness shrouding my thoughts.
"Hey, Aurora," I said. "Welcome back to the land of the living!" I furrowed my brow. "Well, not exactly, but you get what I mean."
My bond huffed as she focused on me, her martial robes shifting slightly. "You appear unharmed at least," she said fondly. She then began to observe our surroundings, her starlike eyes drinking it all in. "But you have somehow found yourself in a forest again. A pattern for you, my bond."
I smirked slightly. "It is a bit of a pattern, isn't it?" I said. "I'll have to tell you of my wild adventures these past few days."
Aurora sat and listened as I told her about what had happened in the aftermath of her defiance of Aldir's presence, shifting slightly and asking a few questions. The interaction was surprisingly therapeutic: I relied heavily on my bond for emotional stability. Just talking about what happened to me was relieving in a way I needed.
As I finished my story, the fire crackled lowly in front of me. I could feel the quiet consideration from the phoenix shade across from me as she stared off into the distance, her eyes unfocused and her emotions heavier than my own.
She's staring east, I realized, a pit of guilt growing in my stomach. She's staring toward her Hearth.
Aurora turned her eyes to me, sensing my bitter thoughts. A slow, painfully understanding smile stretched across the dusky purple undertones of her skin.
"It has been many, many long centuries since I have seen the Beast Glades," she intoned softly, standing and walking around the campfire so she sat near me. She felt just as warm as the fire. No; warmer. "I cannot blame you for your inability to reach the Hearth on your own strength, Toren."
Those words did little to ease my mood. I reached my hand into the fire, poking a log so that it sat more firmly at the base. The dancing tongues couldn't hurt me; not at this measly level of heat.
"It's not easy, being reminded that I'm amidst something so much vaster than me," I said mournfully, settling back. "It's a strange feeling, Aurora. I define myself as strong, yet every barrier that guards my way is because I'm not strong enough."
Unbidden, I found myself thinking of Arthur. The young man faced many of the same struggles to grow in power, always feeling out of his depth. As I began to endure the same stressors, I found myself reviewing my notes on The Beginning After the End.
How did Arthur–who I knew so well–face his actions? How did he make peace with his growth and needs?
The phoenix's arm rubbed comforting circles on my back. "I do miss my Hearth, my bond," she said sorrowfully, "But there is another thing to consider. I have no doubt that Mordain is aware of our presence here, especially after my clash with General Aldir a few days ago. Yet I have seen no sign from him in attempted contact. I take that as a sign that, even were you powerful enough to reach my home, it is not yet time."
I blinked, looking at the shade in surprise as she drew me from my musings about Arthur Leywin. "What do you mean?" I said. "Do you think your brother could sense your shade, even so far out?"
Aurora nodded slowly. "In part. Mordain is powerful, my young chick, even amongst the phoenixes. But I left a token of myself behind when I was sent to parlay with Agrona. That token… should affirm my current survival, at least in some manner he can dissect."
She looked up at the canopy above us. The stars were blocked out by many clouds on high. "Chul would be a grown man now," she said sorrowfully, a single molten tear threatening to escape her burning eye. "In asuran standard, all that he would need is his First Sculpting. Yet I… I failed to assist him in that. I did not tend to my son as I should have."
I felt my bond's mood plummet at the mention of her family. My heart squeezed in painful sympathy as I wrapped an arm around her back, hugging her slightly and savoring the warmth. "Tell me about Chul, Aurora," I said, surprising myself. "I'm going to meet him eventually, yeah? I think I should have a heads up on how to treat my older brother."
Aurora turned to the side, blinking in surprise at my words. I smirked at the look of mild shock on her face, raising an eyebrow. "I've been adopted into your little nest, haven't I?" I pushed wryly. "I'm pretty sure that makes Chul my older brother."
After all, I'd never been the younger brother. That was Norgan's job. I would need some pointers on how to talk to Chul.
Aurora laughed, a melodic, beautiful sound as she tossed her head back. She seemed surprised by her own emotions as she chuckled, her feather-red hair swaying in an Unseen breeze.
"I'm serious, Aurora," I said, feigning determination. "I'm an Asclepius, aren't I? There isn't some sort of… brother's ritual I need to attend? Some old phoenix tradition that I must train for for a hundred years?"
Lady Dawn sniffled slightly, mussing my hair affectionately. "No, there isn't. You are no banished asura to deny your brotherhood," she said, laughter still in her voice. "But I look forward to the day you shall meet your brother, Toren. He has my fire and his father's passion for life. His eyes glow like a sun and a mirror lake trapped in a waltz, and his smile is enough to light up the world."
"It sounds like I have a lot to do if I want to live up to his expectations," I said jokingly.
Aurora shook her head, pulling me closer into a hug as the fire began to die down. "You're beautiful as you are, my son," she said, causing me to blush slightly in embarrassment. "And I suspect you two would be wonderful for each other. Chul can be brash and headstrong: something I gave to him, certainly. He needs someone like you to help him see his way."
"Oh?" I asked, banishing the burning in my cheeks as Aurora let me go. "And what could Chul teach me?"
"He is a master of our martial forms, my son," my bond said with utmost seriousness. "And Chul is exceptional at every single method of the hunt. He was hunting mana beasts well before he reached the age of five," she said with a note of pride. "And he sees the truth of every person. It is his gift to look upon a person and know their worth."
I chortled slightly, feeling my spirits lift as I continued to talk through the night with my bond.