As the trio followed behind the transforming figure of Elder Theo, pressured by the stares of nearly two hundred Spiris of varying ages, they couldn't shift their gaze from the awe inspiring phenomena before them.
Elder Theo's body pulsed with dark purple light, arcs of energy crackling across his exoskeleton as the air around him warped and shimmered. The cavern walls reflected his form, the glow of his transformation casting intricate shadows that danced like living creatures, adding to the sense of awe and dread that gripped the trio. At least to the hatchlings, this looked like the deadliest existence they'd seen so far, ignoring Nythera who just looked powerful but more so beautiful in her humanoid form.
As the transformation ended, Elder Theo's voice boomed across the room, "Younglings, the missing three have been safely returned to the Cradle! Not only this, but accompanying them into the arms of our once-great home was one of our very own Primordial Pillars, the sixth Pillar, Nythera the Great Mother!" he shouted.
""". . ."""
[[[EHHHHH?!]]]
Like a rushing tsunami, a flood of [Mindweave] signals slammed into the trio and Elder. The children were ecstatic, this was a legendary figure, a Primordial Pillar of their race, and the most elusive one no less! Not only that, but their missing brood mates had safely returned!
[It's the three that disappeared!]
[Why do they look so funny?]
[Their balance is off by about... 17%, 13%, 26%. Inconceivable! How do they function like this?!]
[I offer to correct their posture!]
[They look like humans, kind of, but better because they have more legs!]
"Now, now, younglings. These three are more of your family, Atlas, Shine, and Blanc, as I'm sure you're aware. It seems among our happy group we now have some variants! I want you to... Wait... Where's Dys?" Elder Theo asked, a sudden frustration painting his mental voice.
[Dys... Dys is resting, Elder Theo.] one of the slightly larger Spiris said.
"Sigh... Resting huh? Do you little bandits really think I've gone senile with my senses?"
[... No. Sorry, Elder Theo. Dys... still isn't feeling well.]
"Did it have any effect? Any at all?" Elder Theo asked, his large metallic body lowering to the ground to eye the smaller Spiris before him seriously.
[Well...]
[No.]
[Nope.]
[Dunno.]
[Don't think so, nah.]
"Sigh... tell him to rest well, I'll be back with something stronger soon. I jus—"
[Don't!] a sudden voice interrupted.
"Dys! Why aren't you resting? If the tonic didn't wo—"
Just before Theo could finish, a smaller Spiris, about the size of a three year old human baby, crawled out of one of the tunnels in this large cavern.
[Elder Theo, I'm fine. Really. We don't have much Essenceflow left, we shouldn't be wasting it on a condition that won't kill me anyways.] the tiny Spiris said, the voice of his [Mindweave] high, childish, and manifold more so, sickly.
". . ."
"Uh, sorry. I can tell this is an important matter, but could you tell me what the problem is? You mentioned a tonic?" Atlas asked.
It wasn't just curiosity. He'd have preferred it if it was. But the moment he heard that sickly voice, his mind already made its choice. He didn't know what was happening, but suddenly every cell of his body screamed that it had to know, and he could feel the traces of that voice clawing at his mind again.
He had no idea what the voice from the cave had to do with this little Spiris, and would much rather just run away from anything that might bring it forth, yet his hexlimbs remained rooted to the ground, as if his mind and body had differing opinions. It was strange to someone who saw himself as logical as Atlas saw himself, it was just like the time he stayed to defend Shine, despite feeling he was likely to die... again. His body was doing something he couldn't see himself doing normally, and yet he didn't understand why.
[Atlas... Sorry about that, this is Dys, one of the younglings. He was born among your batch, and something... something foreign seemed to have affected his egg. By the time we realized what was happening, the three of you were gone, and we didn't have time to focus on what was wrong.] Elder Theo said, a pained frustration returning to his transmission.
"Something... foreign, you say?" Atlas asked, his heart dropping as he looked towards Blanc and Shine, "Just out of curiosity, how close were we to his egg when we disappeared?"
"Yes? Hmmm, let me think... Ah, right, you were in the chamber just below his, I believe. Why do you ask this?"
[You don't need to make that expression. I'm not sure what you're thinking, brother Atlas, but this has nothing to do with you. Besides, it's not like I'm dying anyways.]
'No... It probably is related to me...'
[Yet. You're not dying, yet.] came another baby Spiris's voice.
[Shut it! I'm not dying now, or anytime soon! This stupid condition just corrupts my energy, it isn't hurting me otherwise. I'm a little weaker than you guys, sure, but it's not like I can't live.] Dys explained.
"When you say it corrupts your energy, what do you mean? How does this impact you?" Atlas asked, his heart clenching in his throat.
It didn't matter to what degree Dys was impacted, it had likely come about due to the influence of Atlas's nature, and the System trying to suppress it. To him, this was the same as having cursed this innocent newborn who'd done nothing wrong, hell, they'd just come into the world, excited like he was sure all of the other hatchlings had been, and found to be crippled for life.
'I... I can't accept that... I refuse to accept that.'
"Allow me to explain," Elder Theo interrupted, his voice no longer as murky with pessimism, instead replaced by the soothing comfort of an Elder teaching their brood, "Dys's condition, while not immediately lethal, affects him in a way that might as well be due to his being an Arkaen." Elder Theo said, pausing to make sure Atlas understood.
"The Arkaen, you see, have extremely long life spans. The reason for this is a lesson for another time, but in comparison to races not of the Arkaen, their average life expectancy is manifold higher. That being said, there are requisites for this gift to hold true. And that is the flow of one's energy. At least in large part, this perfectly streamlined flow of energy that rejuvenates the body through nature's essence, is mandatory. Thus, Dys's energies being corrupted..."
"Make that gift impossible."
"... Yes."
"And are there immediate effects?"
"Yes. Those are the effects Elder Feryn and I are more concerned about, the future is the future after all, as long as we have time, we were sure we could figure it out. The problem is that the Cradle's reserves of Essenceflow Water are running thin. We've pushed our storage to the absolute limits by now, and at this point, we have merely two months worth left. Various resources are running out, but this one is the most pressing."
"Are you sure you should be telling us something that seems like such a big issue with all the children around?"
[Hey! You're a child, your whole brood are children!]
[Yeah, we're already a few days old! We're practically Elders.]
"Haha, I see your point, Atlas, but the children already know this. With the natural development of the [Astera Spiris Sense] skill, most of the children have at one point or another realized the current state of the Cradle. With the situation being what it is, there isn't much reason for Feryn and I to hide it from them." Elder Theo chuckled ruefully.
"Got it... So, how bad is the problem? I get that the Cradle's supplies are probably running low by now, but how important is this Essenceflow Water in particular?"
"Paramount. It is of paramount importance to the Astera Spiris. The [Broodguards] have told me that the Cradle was even meant to receive it's own diverted reservoir of this water if there had been enough time for the construction before the calamity, but such a thing never came to pass."
"Why? What does it do? Is there any way to get some?"
Hearing Atlas's question, Elder Theo just lowered his large Spiris body further, as if once again frustrated by something, "Essenceflow Water has many uses for the Arkaen. It is used as a base in many tonics and concoctions. If we had enough we'd probably be able to do something more for Dys's condition, but beyond all of these uses, it also has extremely high symbolic importance to Velathra. Once, there was a time where the waters of Velathra, from every corner of this hidden realm, were rivers of Essenceflow Water. Now, the filtration system is blocked, the Nexus Zones have deteriorated, or been stolen. The Essence Wells are dormant or too weak to support the infrastructure of Velathra, and the one Nexus Zone Feryn and I detected to still have a source of Essenceflow, is too weak to handle either he or I..." Theo paused,
"Are you saying..."
"Yes. The only ones that would be able to enter that Nexus Zone are the younglings. Their levels are low enough, and they'd get in just fine, even in numbers, but that is obviously the problem as well. If Feryn and I can't be there to protect them, there is no way we'd send them inside. They are young, inexperienced in combat, and as much as they're willing to go, Feryn and I aren't willing to see our numbers dwindle further."
Hearing this, Atlas just fell into silence, the rest of the Spiris chatting loudly with their [Mindweaves] as Shine and Blanc slowly got introduced to the group. As dire as things seemed for these motley survivors of Velathra, the scene was harmonious. Shine and Blanc became the centers of attention. A few Spiris children even tried to correct the exact alignment of Shine's hexlimbs, poking and prodding her with their legs in odd places. Others just tried to see if Blanc was really able to walk straight, some even cheered when they saw he could make webs with his limbs. It was heartwarming, and somehow sad.
'I need to talk to Mom... I need to see if the three of us can evolve now. If we can at least get that power up, maybe Shine, Blanc, and I can try hitting that Nexus Zone and nabbing some of this water…'
Atlas thought, his hexlimbs already moving him back out of the cavern, towards the direction he'd come from with Theo.
"System... How much of the situation did you know? How much more do you know now that Nythera unsealed you in the forest? And why was Dys affected?"
[Host... The System doesn't understand Dys's situation any more than you do, all I can say is that we tried our best to prevent the spreading of your Primordian birth's influence. As for the situation, the System did not know it exactly, but we understood the diminished state of the place when we were moving your eggs. Thus, we believed it important for you to return so that you could help your new family. This would also allow you to join a community and integrate into our world smoothly, as well as provide you a space to grow... We had no idea it was this bad though, not until Nythera unsealed us. At that point, we remembered the files related to Velathra of the last two thousand years.]
"So? What should I do?"
[That depends, host. Nythera has forbid us from dictating your path, we can still provide guidance, but now it will only be with your genuine choosing of how. What exactly do you want to do, host? Have you ever really thought about it since waking up?]
"Not really. At first it all just felt so... wrong. Like moving on as if everything's fine wasn't acceptable. I don't really feel that way as strongly anymore but... I don't know, it's still a little complicated I guess. As far as the short term is concerned, I just want to help out how I can I guess. These guys are my family right? My people? Then, I want to see the place get better, like fixing up places around my grandparent's home town," Atlas muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He was trying his best to accept that this world was his world, not one he was a foreign participant in, anymore, but it'd take time. For now he just knew what he felt like doing, so at least this part had become simpler.
[Understood, Host. I will begin formulating plans of action to aid in the growth and rejuvenation of the people of Velathra. Are there any avenues you would like me to focus on?]
"Your calculation ability vastly exceeds what I could plan. Just categorize the various problems into sections or paths of action, sort them by order of importance or what Velathra needs most right now, then based on that we can move forward, I'll talk to Shine and Blanc too. For now, let's handle the Essenceflow problem, if we can."
[There should be multiple solutions to the Essenceflow Water shortage host, I'm sure the Elder Theo's System has also considered them, but our being unsealed has allowed us to know much more than their Systems do, thus, I can guide you in alternate solutions. The problem remains though, the only presently available solution is the Nexus Zone. The others would take time and require a large amount of manpower. In order to facilitate these follow-up measures, I support the idea of heading to the Nexus Zone with an active Essence Well. Would you like me to state the reasons?]
"Nah, It's fine. If anything you can tell me later, for now, let's see if Feryn and Nythera are done." Atlas said, glad to have this version of the System rather than the one he'd had in the cave.
It was far more open with him, barely hiding anything. If it ever did, it was just because it didn't know. He didn't doubt that the previous System had an insane number of restrictions, unable to do what he wanted, but with Nythera unsealing it, these problems had disappeared.
Just as Atlas had finally reached the main floor of the Cradle, the entrance through the massive gates just ahead, he spied Nythera in the distance, without Feryn. It seemed they'd ended their conversation, as she was approaching Atlas with a complicated expression.
"You want to evolve... don't you?" she said, her face showing hints of frustration, "And you're already planning to enter a Nexus Zone, right? Let me guess, you heard about the shortage of Essenceflow waters."
"Uh, yeah, actually. I wanted to ask if we could evolve and head to the zone. I figured that if it's dangerous we'll need all the strength we can get, and it'll also be a good chance to level up."
"I'll let you evolve. In fact, you in particular didn't need to wait for foundation building, I just don't want you evolving outside of the safety and barriers of this place, but this is only on one condition…" Nythera's voice lowered, eyes narrowing as if she could see through Atlas's very soul, "If you can't accept this condition, don't even think of leaving the Cradle, there are powers at work that even I must take seriously…"
Atlas swallowed a retort, he could see the seriousness in Nythera's eyes, and could tell something was bothering her, but he couldn't figure out what.
"I'll let you go if…"
"WHAT?!"