Herald of death

Ethan lets the sandy, desert wind brush his skin as he stands, eyes closed, at the edge of a cliff. Not so long ago, the coarse sand would have attacked his skin, but now, it feels like a caress. The changes Ethan had undergone always felt, in a strange way, natural. He became faster and stronger, but his body and senses continued to feel human. His ability to sense and manipulate Ether felt based on sight and imagination, and his mind had filed his abilities as mere tools. But something changed in the Realm of Ascension. Training his soul unlocked a new sense that had been alien to Ethan. Standing at the edge of the arena where he will fight Cedric, he feels the emotions of the desert beasts – hunger, thirst, fear, and stress. It dries his throat and tightens his stomach despite the feast he just partook in.

Russ jumps out of Ethan's shadow to lie down beside him, staring into the distant desert. His emotions are hidden from Ethan when he's in the shadows; out, he radiates a constant sharpness of mind like Ethan's usual focus. Russ yawns before playfully snapping his maw at Ethan, bored.

'Shadow,' Ethan orders, feeling bloodthirst crawling into his mind. He convinces himself of the soberness of his body to dispel the effects of the wine still in his system and turns. His gaze falls on the rising form of his opponent as Cedric finishes exiting the shadows.

Not a word is shared between them before they lunge at each other.

Ethan grew accustomed to Cedric's accelerating ability. Strengthening allows him to match the raw speed. And Ethan's knowledge of Cedric's swordsmanship makes up for the relative sluggishness of his reflexes.

Between two clashes, Ethan casts Galewalker around his form to ease his movements. The winds it creates part the air before him, limiting the drag generated by his rapid movements. It also repels the poison emanating from Cedric's skin, sending it upward and to the sides. It may not allow Ethan to breathe, but it does lessen the chemical pain it inflicts on exposed skin.

Phantomatic snakes shoot out of Cedric's form as he locks Ethan into a promiscuous sliding bind.

'Invite,' Ethan commands. Russ' maw rises from Ethan's shadow to tug on his pants. The ground vanishes, and Ethan falls down into the shadow realm, from which he can see the real world. Still held by Russ, Ethan jumps up and reemerges behind Cedric.

The prince hurls himself forward, avoiding an attack that threatened to take his neck. He lands and spins, clawing at the ground to stop himself.

'Territory,' Ethan thinks. Shadows lengthen and in an instant turn into a thick, dark fog that covers the ground.

Fire sparks in-between Cedric's fingers to climb alongside them in licking strokes. The yellow light dispels Russ' territory in the prince's immediate vicinity. The ominous presence of Russ that would have made any normal human question their chances doesn't hinder him. He propels himself forward to reengage with Ethan, locking them back into a flurry of blows.

Ethan spots a shift in Cedric's fighting – the prince decelerates and begins to bait Ethan with feints and pretend openings. Having seen it before, Ethan limits himself to deflecting the blows coming to him. He uses the opportunity to focus on slowly absorbing outside Ether by filtering Cedric's curse from it.

The world turns to darkness as Cedric's form vanishes from view, replaced by a shadowed, distant mass of slivering scales. It unfurls and rises, revealing the massive form of a snake that threatens to bite Ethan.

By improving his spirituality, Ethan became more resistant to the effects of Aura of Dread. He can move, but he also knows that as long as Cedric remains in this form, there is little he can do to harm him. Looking at his shadow, Ethan commands, 'Dread.'

Russ was prepared to act. They have been through Aura of Dread enough times for him to react to it as if Cedric were shaking a bite sleeve before his jaws. A giant maw shoots out of the darkness and snaps down on the serpent's neck, breaking the ability.

Cedric staggers back, stopping himself from clasping his punctured neck with his flaming hand. The blood jellifies and stops from flowing, coagulated black by Cedric's powers. He whips his hand, and liquid spikes escape his palm to fly towards Ethan.

'Weapon Aura,' Ethan triggers, coating Stormshard in a layer of Ether. With short strokes, he cuts down some of the attacks while purposely missing others. Cedric comes back at him, locking Ethan in a flurry. Ethan continues to cast blades of Ether and lightning. They scatter pointlessly across Cedric's skin or miss him as Ethan swings at enough of an angle to avoid the hex-proof skin.

Realizing that Ethan dominates, Cedric shifts his swordsmanship to a more aggressive style. It trades safety for powerful, full-body movements that would surprise any other opponent with their power.

Ethan recognizes the exact pattern in Cedric's moves and bobs his body from side to side, avoiding the blows with practiced ease. He moves his blade with small wrist movements, casting fine and precise cuts.

Below Russ' territory, the gashes cut into the ground by Ethan's Weapon Aura burst with blue light as he guides a thread of his Ether into them. The ritual's effect, its area of influence invisible to the naked eye, hooks into Cedric's form. His scales slough off in chunks. His regeneration tries to keep up, but it only causes patches of smaller scales to fall before they are fully formed.

Cedric jumps back, trying to escape the ritual's span.

'Tackle,' Ethan commands. Russ' enlarged maw bites down on Cedric's calf, pinning him down.

Cedric raises his sword to swing at Russ and fails to see Ethan's spell. Fire pierces through the prince's chest, coming out at the other side in a jet. It sears his lung; the boiled and burned tissues spew out of Cedric's nose and mouth in grey smoke.

'Let go,' Ethan commands. He levels his hand at Cedric and unleashes a torrent of lightning arcs at the prince. They burn his clothes and flesh, leaving ragged, ember scars.

Cedric roars in pain and rage, his eyes bloodshot and his mouth foaming. His Ether explodes with his life force. He directs it to his muscles through Strengthening and bursts forward, breaking the sound barrier as his feet shatter the ground.

Ethan draws on the bloodthirst emanating from Cedric's soul and gives in deeply to the thrill. His vision tunnels as he enters the trance-like state of raw violence. War Ether sparks in Ethan's heart, and he directs it, alongside his own Ether, into Strengthening. His body swells with power, and he matches Cedric's speed and strength, focusing on defense as the prince exhausts his life force.

Soon, the fight ends. The enraged prince's swings become sluggish as his burnt body takes on a sickly white hue accompanied by the telltale black veins. He falls to his knees and drops his dripping blade, too weak to even hold it.

His sword hefted to the side, Ethan finally breathes, taking in the cold desert air and the lingering remains of poison. It tickles his throat and lungs. "Thank you. I've learned a lot from our fights."

Cedric's broken expression morphs back into the arrogant smirk he had in this stage's first iteration. His shadow widens and reddens, emanating a hunger that fills Ethan's mouth with the coppery taste of blood.

With a sliver of life force, Ethan coats his blade in blue flames. This fight is over, and he won't let a trump card rob him of it. Stormshard writhes with power as Ethan hurls it at Cedric's form. It bisects the prince down the middle and engulfs him in raging flames that eat away his flesh in seconds, scattering his ashes with their force.

"That was a marvelous use of phonoglyphic ritual casting," the realm's master praises as time stops. Fire still flows out of Ethan's blade, held in place as it pours out. "You did well rethinking your approach. Trying to alter the magical aspects of his harmony was too complex a task."

"Causing him to shed continuously was easier. Took me five tries," Ethan quips. He pulls out Stormshard from the raging, immobile flames and unsummons it. He glances around to see the frozen ashes of Cedric rising into the night sky. "Are we done?"

"Yes, you passed," the realm master confirms.

"You succeeded in the Realm of Ascension's greater challenge. You obtained the Ascended title. A class change has been granted. You obtained the True Ascended title. You may choose to learn any ability you fulfill the requirements of," the system announces.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Ethan remains silent for a moment, taking in that the endless loop he was in finally ended. He turns to the waiting blond man and asks, "Any ability?"

"That you fulfill the requirements of," the realm's master reiterates.

Ethan asks, "Is there a list I can choose from, or do I have to scan all the class cards I have to find what I want?"

"The system will help you in that regard. I advise you to choose your ascended class first and later use this boon to fill in gaps in your skillset," the realm master answers. He opens his book, and the world turns to smoke to reform into the mansion they first met in. The realm master walks up to one of the benches and summons a pile of books, topped by a shimmering potion. They appeared in a flash of blue light instead of the usual smoke, mimicking Ethan's inventory. "I wagered it would take you at least fifty days to kill Cedric Valmont. The books I would have given you anyway, but the potion is a reward for proving me wrong."

"Wagered with who?" Ethan asks.

"A patron whose interests align with mine, and some of her servants," the realm master answers.

Easily guessing the identity of this patron, Ethan falls into introspective silence. Since the labyrinth, he knew that Kaliathra had taken more than a passing interest in him. Though her goals seem to align with his – to kill Caelum Cindralis – he cannot bring himself to trust her.

"Is there a problem?" the realm master asks.

"Going through a month of a Groundhog Day installed a monotone routine, as crazy as it sounds. I think I finally assimilated just how insane my life has become." Ethan dusts off his cloak and sits down on the bench beside his loot. "Being watched by a goddess who somehow decided I would be part of her designs is disturbing and ominous. Her servant did save Russ, and I'm inclined to think she guided me to him. But I know it has to be part of some plan to rope me into her service."

"Don't you think I am trying to rope you into my designs to fulfill my own goals?" The realm master summons a cup and sips from it, creating a cartoonishly suspicious sound.

"You exposed your goals clearly and stated what you won't share and why. I can work with that, even if it requires me to plan for your eventual betrayal. But I know she has plans for me beyond Cindralis; she already said as much. I'm not looking for another job, much less to become a devotee. I know that atheism has become obsolete nowadays, but I'm still opposed to putting my life under the control of a god." Ethan picks up the vial to identify it. "Who won? Kaliathra, Rest, or Decay?"

Miracle potion (S)

This mouthwatering delicacy heals all the wounds of the person who consumes it in its entirety. Additionally, it fills the body with as much Ether as it can hold, fully restores life force, and cures all bodily ailments and negative alterations.

The realm master smirks. "Rest thought you would at least spend a day of leisure. Decay wagered you would give up and rot away. Kaliathra bet you would go through my challenge in a single try."

"That was optimistic." Ethan comments. "Doesn't that mean nobody won your little game?"

"Mercy took the other side of my bet; she won," the blond man denies. How many servants does Kaliathra, or the gods in general, have? If Decay's aura is a good measure of strength, they could prove problematic if Ethan has to fight Seraphel's.

"Didn't you cheat by offering me coffee when I took a break?" Ethan mutters. "By the way, will I finally get an answer as to why Earth's humans are as adept at Ether as the people from the other world? Why are there so many identical species between our worlds? Us, humans, included."

"Your world and the one you call the other world aren't coalescing for the first time. I believe it happened twice before – once after your dinosaurs went extinct, and once as your world evolved its own, incompatible 'humans'. Both world species mixed with one another on both occasions."

"But my world didn't have Ether or the system. Is my world going to be cut off at some point and lose both?" Ethan asks.

"Yes, and no. At the time I … the system didn't exist, but Ether did pour into your world. Once the supply cut off, it vanished slowly from it, used up as it gave birth to a few of your legends." The realm master looks lost in his thoughts, as if he were reminiscing about old memories.

"But not this time?" Ethan pushes. He wonders what legends the realm master refers to. Maybe those linked to the labyrinths?

"The portal you opened will remain even after the coalescence ends, as will the others," the blond man answers.

"So, by opening the portal I made things permanent?" Ethan asks. "Could we have escaped Caelum's plans for hundreds of thousands of years if I had not?"

"Someone else would have eventually done it. And the system already implanted sources of Ether in your world, making things permanent." The realm master summons spheres orbiting in the air. It resembles the altar where Aranthor and Caelum fought. Two of the spheres spin around one another, touching. "Cindralis' plans require the coalescence to reach its paroxysm, not that the worlds be linked. All it will hinder is that world hoping will progressively get harder."

"World hoping?" Ethan startles. "And when will this paroxysm be?"

"Certain abilities, or spells, enable their user to move between worlds," the realm master answers. He extends a finger, and a breach into reality forms next to him, showing the Hollywood Hills. "The timeline of the coalescences isn't something you can deduce from the inside. But my glimpses of the future tell me you will be at the right place at the right time."

"Good to know. But doesn't telling me inevitably change the outcome? What if I became complacent because I 'know' I 'should' be on time?" Ethan comments. He traces his finger along the spine of one of the books. 'Verses of power, volumes one to three. Does he need me to get familiar with rituals?'

"I doubt you would do such a thing. For one, I know you won't trust my word. … Alaric got ahead of me, but I still have some more information for you." He summons a small metallic pyramid from smoke. It levitates to approach Ethan, letting him see the complex ritual carved into its surface. The language is unknown to him, but he recognizes the carved diagrams. "Before going any further on any of your missions, there is someone you need to hinder, or he will stop you."

"Who?" Ethan asks. "And what is this thing?"

"The herald of darkness," the realm's master reveals. "He's a sideliner who moves to hinder Cindralis' plans and take over when they fail. If you let him be and stop Cindralis, he will kill you and resume where Cindralis stopped."

Ethan remembers one of his visions. "Is he the same person who took over after Cindralis failed to –" His throat tightens, crushed by an invisible force.

"Yes," the realms master confirms. "This artifact is his phylactery – an item protecting his soul and allowing him to resurrect upon his body's demise. You cannot face him directly, but destroying his phylactery will stop him from acting in the foreseeable future. He will have to focus on making a new one."

'How are the crucible and Cindralis connected? Are they even connected, or is it some twisted coincidence that this herald would stop me from reaching both?' Ethan looks up at the realm master, who lets no expression betray his thoughts.

The realm master stares back at Ethan, switching to a serious expression. "I am going to send you where you'll find the phylactery. Never speak of it to anyone, and never utter the herald's name or any of his titles, for he will be warned. If he finds out, death would be the kindest of ends for you."

"You want me to invade someone's home and destroy one of his artifacts?" Ethan asks rhetorically. "I have a feeling it won't be as easy as snatching antiquities back on Earth. Do you know where it is? How is it protected? Are there defenses, guards, or anything else I should know about?"

"I do not know its exact location; his kingdom is shielded from my sight," the realm master answers.

"His kingdom?" Ethan asks.

"You'll find it is only a kingdom by name," the realm master comments. "It will be your responsibility to scout the place and foil any protection he set up. Thankfully, you are quite suited for this task."

"Do I have a choice?" Ethan asks. His vision is a strong argument as to why he should undertake this job, but he has previous engagements.

"No. Though you could flee once out of my reach, I think you'll find it is in your interest to undertake this mission," the realm master answers. He lets a faint smile cross his face.

"What if you are trying to get me to stop him so whatever Cindralis is doing succeeds?" Ethan postulates.

"It is in Kaliathra's interest to stop Cindralis," the realm master answers. According to Rest, the goddess of death cannot let the burning of billions of souls happen. "I can assure you that if I were to mislead you, she would go out of her way to warn you. It would be worth the consequences."

Ethan sighs. He touches the items and sends everything into his inventory. "What's the object Cindralis needs from my world?"

"I will not share that information," the realm master denies. He dispels his illusory orrery. "Your next objective is to destroy the phylactery, not to go after Cindralis or the crucible. It will come, I assure you, but later, once you are ready."

"What happens if I fail? If I died, who would stop him?" Ethan asks.

"I'd like to tell you that you are but one of many potential agents capable of stopping him, but we are in weak times. Most gods do not care, and those who do aren't on your side." The realm master leans back and brings his right hand to his face, putting on a pensive expression. "I believe you will not be alone in the final fight, but neither will Cindralis. I cannot think of anyone who can take on your role in the coming conflict."

"So why not tell me everything you know?" Ethan asks. "If I am your only … hope, shouldn't you entrust me with every possible piece of information? To give me the best chances to succeed?"

"And let you obsess over plans to hinder his operations and plans when you should focus on your current mission?" the realm master asks. "I'd like to tell you everything I know. But the truth is that you aren't as emotionless as you may think. You'll lose yourself to your quest of vengeance; as long as it isn't the mission at hand, you cannot be trusted to ignore it."

Ethan restrains a spike of anger and sighs. "Is there a way for me to contact you once it is?"

"I do not believe that anyone you trust will be able to wake me when they come to my realm," the blond man answers. A tear in reality forms next to Ethan, appearing as a white crack in the air. "This is the last time we meet. At least for a very long time, if ever."

Ethan rises to his feet and extends his hand for the realm master to shake. "Thank you for the teachings. I've been winging it for months without taking the time to train properly. Without you, I might have continued till the end."

The realm master looks at the hand for an uncomfortable second before grabbing it in his powerful grip. "I'm rather used to people cursing me for the torments they went through. You remind me of a better time; I have high hopes for you."

"I'll try not to disappoint," Ethan quips before letting go and stepping towards the exit.