Ch 55: Getting Real

Arriving at the elven village of Altus, the reality of the other world is becoming more and more tangible to the new generation. Elder Elris also exposes the reality of a possible crisis.

            As the others gasped, Alexander and Mythra simply looked amused at their reaction. Then both of them proceeded to follow after Elris, as Alexander said, “Just follow after him. You’ll see.” As Mythra and Alexander both disappeared as well, for awhile Grey, Amy, and Richter stared. Then shrugging his shoulders, Richter said, “I suppose if they say there’s nothing to worry about…” Grey acknowledged him with a nod. Then Grey took hold of Amy’s hand, and as she turned red and showed a mixed look of surprise and embarrassment, the three of them proceeded after the others. With a feeling of stepping through a sheet of falling water, the world around them seemed to be replaced by completely new surroundings. Grey looked around in amazement at the elven village that had appeared around him, the buildings made of various materials such as polished wood, precious metals, and carved green crystal, all crafted so elegantly that he could hardly imagine the skill of the craftsmen who made them. The plants overgrowing them added an air of nature to the futuristic atmosphere that seemed to radiate from the design of the homes. Noticing ladders and elevators, he looked up to see more finely crafted homes suspended in the long branches of the ancient, gnarled looking tree that stood in the center of the village, from which a mysterious power seemed to emanate. Elris, Alexander, and Mythra all stood waiting for them down the street ahead, at the edges of what looked to be a large square at the foot of the great tree, where a large green colored crystal stood, pulsating with green light. The street was stone with patches of grass and moss, and still looking around in wonder, Grey started to make his way down it with Amy and Richter in tow. A grin on his face as he waved them over, Alexander called out, “Quite a sight isn’t it?” Once everyone stood before him, Elris bowed his head and said, “Welcome to Altus.”

            Struggling to find words, Amy said, “But how is it… How can this all be here?! I mean, it wasn’t here, but then it was…” With a look of amusement, Mythra said, “Honestly. Pull yourself together, it’s nothing to be so amazed about at this point. As a matter of fact, this is hardly all that different from the aerial camouflage barrier I have over my house.” Gesturing towards the crystal, Elris said, “Our camouflage barrier is powered by the Elder Magic that gathers within the Gift of Altu, the crystal here. Even during the time when the seals were functioning properly, it has always supplied us with all the energy we need, which isn’t much really.” Walking over to look at the crystal more closely, Richter said, “Fascinating! You mean to say it’s some form of natural power supply?!” Amused by Richter’s interest, Alexander said, “Oh it’s not natural, it’s created through a combination of magic and EDE. The elves of this village brought it with them and placed it here. I believe Mythra brought something equivalent with her when she came to Teramis as well. If I understand correctly, the crystals of her Elementum Orbis have some similarities to it as well.” Becoming confused, Grey said, “Wait, so do these gather EDE? I mean, you said it gathers something called Elder Magic, and Stella was saying something about that right before she used an arrow charged with nature energy. How could this use EDE to supply power when the seals were working? I thought all the seals sucked up the world’s EDE supply.” 

Answering him with an impressed smile, Elris said, “We elves refer to EDE as Elder Magic. Basically, the seals themselves absorbed a great amount of Elder Magic, but not all of it. The presence of a certain amount of Elder Magic is needed for life to exist. Tiny bits of what remained would be absorbed into the Gift of Altu, which absorbs Elder Magic almost exactly like the seals themselves.” Turning away from the Gift of Altu, Richter exclaimed, “EDE is required to sustain life?!” Taken aback by his enthusiasm, Elris said, “Well, yes. Little of the true nature of life itself is known, but to an extent, living things need it. As a matter of fact Gabriel, there was something related to this subject I thought I should talk to you about…” Sensing a bit of urgency in his voice, Alexander said, “Very well, but while we talk, would it be alright for the others to look around a bit under the current circumstances?” Waving his question away, Elris said, “Oh no need to worry, I announced we should be expecting visitors when I left to greet you.” Curious about this development, Amy said, “Alexander, we could just come with you couldn’t we?” With a dramatic sigh, Alexander said, “Well you could, but honestly it’s sure to be rather long and boring. Wouldn’t you rather take in some relaxing sightseeing?” With a sly grin, Mythra said, “Oh no you don’t, you sneaky codger! You aren’t weaseling out of this one!” Managing a somewhat nervous laugh, Elris said, “It’s quite alright if you all want to come I suppose. I’m not really sure what’s going on myself. However, we should not talk here. I do not want to cause any needless worry.” Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, Alexander said, “Very well…”

            Taking an elevator that was raised and lowered by an EDE powered automated pulley system, Elris led them into a hollow in the great tree. Stepping into the insides of the tree, which were brightly lit by luminescent crystals, Grey saw many strange devices and groups of elves studying them with interest. Led to stand before a glowing plant-like object on a pedestal in the center of the tree, Elris said, “This is where we have closely studied this world and the life within it. While we have made little discoveries here and there, the vast mysteries of life and our existence are still as elusive as ever.” Looking at the plant-like object, Elris said, “This tree we are within was grown from the seed of a sacred tree called Vitaessil, and this seed in turn is the seed of our great tree, which we have dubbed Teramassil.” Looking at the seed, Richter said, “It looks unlike any seed I’ve ever seen before. It’s rather large as well…” Laughing at his comment, Elris said, “Yes, I suppose it is.” Looking questioningly at Elris, Alexander said, “Is there something wrong with Teramassil?” With a sigh, Elris glanced at him with a nod as he said, “Yes, it is dying.” With a concerned look, Amy said, “Does that mean something bad?” With a serious face, Mythra said, “Well considering Vitaessil is the Great Eternal Tree, whose power grants the elves eternal life, it can’t be a good sign.” Looking completely overwhelmed, Richter muttered, “A tree that does what?!” Pulling his shades down the bridge of his nose, Alexander eyed Elris and said, “Not to be rude Elris, but do get to the point here. You said this had some relation to the existence of life?” 

Looking unsure for a moment, Elris finally said, “We have nothing conclusive, and as such I’ve had all the researchers keep this quiet from the rest of the village. You were in such a hurry the last time we spoke that I didn’t get to discuss it with you. We believe the reason that Teramassil is dying is due to something we can only describe as lifeforce contamination…” Thinking this sounded rather alarming, Grey said, “What the hell is lifeforce contamination?!” Scratching his head nervously, Elris said, “It’s a similar phenomenon to the effects of the corrupt form of Elder Magic used by the Nameless One. We have no idea where it came from, but it’s spreading, slowly corrupting pure Elder Magic. Its effects on matter seem much slower than Corrupted EDE itself, but it still seems to destroy solid material after enough exposure, and as such we have surmised the same can be said for the essence of the living. We are unsure of how far it has spread, but-” Rushing at Elris, Mythra grabbed him by the collar and shouted, “You’re saying this s**t is spreading?! How long have you known about this?! Not having said a word until now, just bringing it up in casual conversation?! Are you out of your mind?!” Frantically, Elris sputtered, “As I just said, we have no way of knowing the cause or how much it has spread, and its effects are difficult to monitor. Like Vitaessil, Teramassil is extremely sensitive to differences in Elder Magic, and we’ve only managed to separate enough of the contamination from pure Elder Magic to run a single experiment! We have no idea if it’s an actual threat to the rest of the world…” Clenching his fists, Alexander thought to himself, “Is it Alastor’s doing as well, or could this somehow be related to the seals? Did we overlook something so dangerous?”

            Having much to think about, Grey and the others spent the rest of the day looking around Altus Village. As nightfall came, Elris invited them all to dinner at his home. When at last dinner was over, Alexander remained to speak with Elris about the details of the contamination while everyone else was shown to a small guest house where they would spend the night. With two rooms containing three beds each, it was far from the luxury of the Great Spire Palace, but it would be more than sufficient for one night. Amy and Mythra claimed one room and Richter and Grey took the other. Unable to sleep though, after awhile of staring at the ceiling, Grey got up and left the room. Wandering in the dark night, the moonlight blocked by the great tree, Grey at last found himself in the square again. Looking at the Gift of Altu, Grey muttered, “Just one thing after another. Could this be the future she was trying to avoid? Gisette Rui…” Suddenly a chuckle from behind Grey startled him, and he turned as a voice said, “Now there’s a name that brings back memories…” Staring at the direction in which he’d heard the voice, he saw nothing. Then from back where he’d been facing before, the voice said, “You know young man, you won’t get anywhere worrying over things by yourself. Why not go rest? As they say, it’s the early bird that catches the worm!” Whirling around again, Grey saw the old man from the cargo hold of the Audentia, leaning against the ornate golden railing around the Gift of Altu as he stared at Grey with his belted gaze. 

Grey’s shoulders drooped, and with a sigh he muttered, “You again?” Chuckling, the old man said, “Who were you expecting, the sandman?” Rolling his eyes, Grey said, “I wouldn’t be surprised at this point…” The old man simply grinned at him, and Grey tried to turn the subject to the fact that the old man claimed to know Gisette. Trying to seem less interested than he was, Grey said, “So, you said you know Gisette old man? Are you friends or something?” With a laugh, the old man replied, “As I’ve told you my boy, I’m an Observer. I usually just bend the rules from time to time, push things in the right direction when they need it, whatever I can get away with. Her on the other hand… Well I’ve told you before haven’t I?” Feeling as though his head might explode, Grey said, “Um… no…” Scratching his head thoughtfully, the old man said, “Oh, well then I suppose it’s just not time then. Sorry.” Holding fast to his respect for the elderly as best he could, Grey said, “Can you at least tell me who you are old man? Since Rufus checked the logs to see when the computer was reprogrammed, we know you probably aren’t the one who sabotaged the Audentia, but why are you suddenly showing up talking about things and never explaining what you mean?” Waving a finger in the air, the old man chuckled and said, “If I simply told you everything that I know, what would really be the point? You’d simply worry about it. That’s the problem with people, they want so badly to know, but once they find out it’s not what they wanted it to be, they wish that they didn’t know at all…” Taken aback by this sudden profound wisdom, Grey’s mind quickly filled with thoughts of the prophecy Amy’s mother had told. Closing his eyes and trying to push the thoughts away, Grey was silent for a moment. Seeming to know what distressed him, the old man smiled and said, “Don’t worry my young friend. Though destiny has already cast its lot, you are proof enough that it can be overturned.” Opening his eyes, Grey saw that the old man had vanished. As he looked around, he heard the old man’s voice say, “Only the power of our hearts holds the key to changing this world…”

            Soaring over the treetops of the Lost Forest on the air cycle, Scott stared out at the lights ahead of him that he assumed had to be Expeditia. However, something about the light was not right. Drawing nearer and nearer, he at last saw why. Burning like a bonfire, the tents and makeshift buildings of the exploratory encampment were being razed to the ground. Touching down on solid ground again, Scott quickly abandoned his air cycle at the edge of the encampment and rushed to help any survivors he could find. Gazing through flame and rising smoke for anyone at all, he shouted, “Heyyy! Anyone still alive?!” Suddenly hearing a coughing sound, Scott quickly sifted through the rubble of a nearby building to find a wheezing man trapped beneath. Hauling him out, Scott said, “Hang on! Let’s get you outta here!” Hoisting the man up on his shoulder, Scott carried him away from the burning encampment. Resting him on the ground, Scott asked, “What happened here?” Coughing, the man said, “It… It was some kind of… monsters! And a man… A man with… empty eyes…” Scott’s eyes widened as he realized there was only one man he could mean. Clenching a fist, Scott muttered, “Alastor!” A chill ran down Scott’s spine as an empty voice called out from behind him, “Did you call, Mr. Matthews?” Forming Levitas Curator, Scott whirled around for a preemptive strike, yet the halberd’s blade struck upon Alastor’s air pressure barrier. 

Struggling to break through with EDE interference, Scott channeled lightning into Levitas Curator, but it was no good. Channeling EDE into his hand, Alastor said, “I’m afraid I’m far more powerful than the last time we fought. My barrier in turn is much stronger.” As Scott backed off and prepared to defend himself, Alastor continued, “It’s rather surprising for you to show up like this Mr. Matthews. I would love to spar with you again, but unfortunately I’m rather short on time.” Extending his arm so that the palm of his hand faced Scott, as black rune circles appeared around Alastor’s arm, the villain said, “You’ll make a fine test for my newly restored abilities. Let’s try this… Deathsoul Summoning.” Sensing the massive amount of Corrupted EDE gathering in Alastor’s hand, Scott raised a barrier of lighting energy around himself in defense just as Alastor unleashed a dark hurricane from his hand at him. Striking the lightning barrier around him, the powerful vortex of dark energy struggled to penetrate Scott’s defenses, ghostly blue lights flickering within it. Then Alastor’s attack exploded and the barrier shattered, and caught in the blast of dark energy, Scott sailed high into the air. Coming down to land hard on the ground, Scott lay unconscious and badly injured as Alastor slowly strode over to him. Staring down at him for a moment, Alastor turned away to instead point a finger at the man Scott had rescued, who now struggled to hobble away. From his finger, Alastor fired a beam of dark energy that pierced the man’s back. The man quickly fell to the ground, lifeless. Hearing someone from behind, Alastor looked back as Scathe approached him and said, “All targets nuetralized.” An empty look in his eyes as always, Alastor said, “Begin the revival process, I want them ready to move by tomorrow.” Turning back to Scott, Alastor said, “Leave this one. He’ll likely be too hard to control if we use his own body, and I’ve not prepared any extras. He’s fought valiantly enough that he deserves a peaceful rest anyways. Still, this is really a rather unexpected end to the Thunderfury Energist…”

            Foot of the Grand Crags. Thursday, June 21, 520NA. Arriving on the path into the mountains after having walked the winding path from the village, Grey and the others, led by Stella, were about to make their ascent. Facing them and speaking in a condescending tone, Stella said, “Alright humans…” Interjecting, Grey said indignantly, “Hey!” Rolling her eyes, Stella continued, “Scaling this mountain will be no walk in the park! We’ve removed the wards and other deterrents in place, but that doesn’t mean you can relax! Nature has its own way of protecting its untouched reaches…” With a humoring smile, Alexander said, “I think we’ll be alright if you could just show us the way.” With a sigh, Stella muttered, “Very well. Let’s get this over with…” As they followed her up the path into the mountains, Mythra muttered under her breath, “This ought to be a fun trip…” Marching on, they made their way up the mountain, traveling upon both beaten paths and narrow ledges, and traversing rickety looking rope bridges that Stella assured them were ‘fine’. While the others were handling it just fine, Amy found herself struggling to keep up. Noticing this, Grey called out to Stella, “Hey, do you think it’s possible we could rest?” Annoyed, Stella looked back and said, “What?! You claim to be He of the Infinite when you cannot even make it this far without getting tired out?” Looking back at her with a glare, Grey said, “Yeah, so what?!” Noticing that Amy looked worn out as well, Alexander said, “I really could use a rest as well.” Shaking her head, Stella muttered, “Humans… Fine, but just for awhile!”

            Moving up a little further, they came to a level area overlooking a chasm. Near the side of the cliff, a large tree rested with its roots stretching far down into the chasm, and they quickly moved into its shade to rest. Sitting down next to Grey, Amy exhaled deeply and gathered herself. Looking higher up the mountain, Richter said, “How much farther until we reach this Gate?” Sitting a good distance away from the rest of them, Stella said, “Not much more to go thankfully.” Resting her eyes, she muttered to herself, “Why did I have to be the one stuck leading them?” Having been curious for awhile, Amy said, “So this Gate is a doorway to Gaia, the original world, right? What’s the Mirror of Souls?” His scholar’s blood ignited, Richter said, “Yes, you haven’t really explained that Alexander. How is it related to the Gate, and how do you plan to use it to remove the Nameless One’s essence?” Raising an eyebrow, Stella said, “Nameless One’s essence?” Calmly putting her concerns to rest, Alexander said, “Nothing to worry about Stella. I have already spoken with Elris about this.” Then, adjusting his shades momentarily, Alexander continued, “The Mirror of Souls is a magical artifact, well actually two artifacts, one of which exists in this world and one that exists in the world of Gaia. At the same time, their existence is bound to one another, as though they are one and the same. Through use of the complex enchantments that make up the Gate, one can pass through the Mirror of Souls, becoming what is called your ethereal essence and rematerializing on the other side. The idea in using it is that it should take Grey and reassemble him using only his own ethereal essence, separating the Nameless One’s essence from his body.” Seeing Grey’s face, Alexander quickly added, “You’ll be fine of course. You’ve already passed though it before.” 

Looking unsure if she should bring this up, Mythra said, “Alexander, I know the situations are different, but considering you’ve passed through the Gate, it may not be a guaranteed solution…” Seeming frustrated that she’d brought this up, Alexander curtly said, “As you said Mythra, the situation is different.” Curious about Mythra’s comment, Grey asked, “What situation?” Hesitating momentarily, Alexander finally sighed and said, “You remember that I was once possessed by the Nameless One as well, correct?” As Grey gave a nod, Alexander continued, “Well in truth, I myself have not actually been separated from the Nameless One’s grasp. That is the reason why I still retain the body of a young man not even in his thirties, even though over one thousand years have passed.” Everyone stared silently as they took this in. Slowly, Richter said, “But then, does it not stand to reason that the Gate will not work? You yourself must have passed through the Mirror of Souls in order to come here, correct? What difference in the situation is there?” Suddenly forming his sword, Alexander said, “Unlike me, Grey can still be unmerged. Richter, you said once before back in Bastion that you have never seen me use my Anima Weapon as anything more than a sword. That is because it no longer retains its original power. All those years ago when I overcame the will of the Nameless One, he fought with all his might to restore his hold on me. For all I know, he still does. Once you surrender to him on the deepest of levels, you are completely merged with his essence like I am, and unmerging is impossible. Yet having used my Anima Weapon as a key to unlock the seal binding him in the first place, I used all my knowledge of the ancient seal with which the Nameless One was originally bound, and sacrificed my Anima Weapon along with almost all of my ability to use my frostfire affinity in order to create a new seal, a vessel for the Nameless One’s power. This sword, The Greatsword of the Seal…”

Reviews

[Ryan Henderson]

Wow. Even though it's been so long, I still remember the events that were mentioned in this chapter that occured before. Yay me! Anyhow, before I get on with the review, I am going to list my favorite quotes of the chapter;

You’re saying this s**t is spreading?! How long have you known about this?! Not having said a word until now, just bringing it up in casual conversation?! Are you out of your mind?! - Mythra Starlight.

“Oh no you don’t, you sneaky codger! You aren’t weaseling out of this one!” - Mythra Starlight

Okay, now to the review. This chapter was very well written much like its predecessors. The elven village seems like an interesting place. Elris looks like a cool character, and Stella looks a bit full of herself, if not, her kind.

The part where Scott found the burning camp was really intense. This scene served to reitterate Alastor's power and that it is growing. Also... SCOTT DON'T YOU DIE ON ME YOU B*****D!!!!!

The Mirror of Souls eh? I need to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing how that one'll turn out. Will he turn out like Alexander or not? I really don't know. Well, I'll try to get more reading done soon, can't wait for volume 2!!!! :D

[KeithKVH]

Hey, finally kill the mockiing bird? xD
Thanks for the read, you've actually remined me of one part of vol. 2 that I need to look and make sure it doesn't conflict with the current vol 3 and 4 rework. You didn't bring it up, but looking over this chapter, "the old man" is not quite as vague in vol 2 with a few things as he remains throughout vol 1.