The Grand Weave

Before we left, Celanae snapped her fingers, and an amethyst-coloured barrier appeared in front of the dungeon portal, blocking the entrance. We set out in a fast-paced walk heading back to the village as Isaac used his skill to inform Brelten. She asked the other four a series of questions as to what happened in the dungeon. Apparently, she and Isaac only came to check up on the dungeon because of some wards going off in Brelten's office. I didn't notice any of the wards she talked about, but I didn't doubt they were there.

She glanced over when the story came to the part about when I rescued them. Her eyes were filled with suspicions as Andrew tried to discuss around the moments where I lost myself to rage. About ten minutes later, she gave Ruina a pat on the back.

"Congratulations on ascending. The first full step is always an experience. People don't like to talk about it, but never needing to go to the bathroom as an adventurer was one of the greatest boons granted by the system," she said kindheartedly.

Ruina beamed in response, and I saw her blush a little. She promptly thanked Celanae quietly and looked away. Her words reminded me of something I didn't notice at the time.

"Hey, sorry I'm interjecting here. But, now that I think about it, you tiered up when I was passed out, yeah?" I asked.

"Uhhm, yes. What about it?" she answered confusedly.

"When you tier up, you're supposed to barf out your organs and ooze out black tar. Aside from the blood, you seem pretty clean."

"Oh, that's easy to explain. I vibrated it off. My skill doesn't affect me, so I just used it on myself down the hallway and cleaned myself up. The dungeon consumed the waste, so there was nothing left to leave a smell."

"Shaky lady was disgusting. Auntie Zhuyin said that spirits don't have to do that when they tier up. Humans are weird," Zharia chirped.

I inwardly chuckled in response and saw Áine nod her head in agreement as she kicked her legs. I was sure as hell glad I wouldn't have to be oozing black goo out of my skin. All those cultivation novels made the experience sound horrid.

Celanae looked over and smirked while shaking her head. "Did they say something funny?"

I briefly stopped and gave her a suspicious look before I carefully stepped around a large root. "Something like that. How did you know?"

"Teddy does the same thing when talking with Arturous. Most people eventually learn to hide their reactions when telepathically communicating, but generally, there's always a tell."

"And what gave me away?"

"Three things. One, you have two spirit familiars who usually have some form of non-audible communication. Two. You turned your head towards your familiar on your left. And three, You got that not-focused, slightly glossy look that's all too common."

"Huh, looks like I'm going to have to work on that in the future."

"You probably should. Your tells aren't painfully obvious but noticeable. It might save your life someday." She completely turned around and observed Áine playfully kicking her feet. "What're their names?"

"The little fairy on my right is Áine. And the little bird on my left is Zharia."

"You smell like a spirit, crystal lady. I am Zharia," Zharia chirped.

"Like a spirit, huh? I think I know why. Nice to meet you, Zharia, and Áine. I am Celanae. It is rare to see a spirit beast of your lineage out here in the lower plane. I imagine Cyrus is one lucky person to have you," Celanae complimented.

Zharia was practically beaming at her words and was nearly cooing in my mind. Áine was giggling in response as we could feel the pride radiating off the little bird.

The rest of the way back to the village was spent with small talk and some storytelling on Celanae's part. The others were like little children, as she told about her childhood training under Brelten. That man was most definitely the grueling drill sergeant I expected him to be. Yet, her words had no malice or spite, only affection. I was starting to peg her for having some form of Stockholm syndrome, but as she explained, he was harsh but kind and never cruel. Rather his training is why she and her team are still alive to this day. It made me appreciate the man all the more for taking Sam and me in the way that he did. So many ways that could have gone wrong when I thought back on it, but it didn't, and without him, I would have never met Zharia.

When we reached the village gate, Talis and Isaac were standing next to the guards. As we approached, he waved us over and rushed over, nearly stumbling over his robe.

"Cyrus! You are alive! Thank the gods. When you weren't found with the others, we feared the worst. I'm so glad you are okay!" Talis spewed.

I grabbed him by the shoulder to steady the man as he nearly headbutted me. "Woah, woah. Calm down there, Talis. I'm still kicking and breathing, I promise. What did you mean by the others? I didn't even know anyone else survived," I said assuredly.

"Oh, you don't know! Quickly, the guildmaster is waiting for you at Oleanders. We must hurry."

I frowned at the vagueness of everything. Celenae was weirdly tight-lipped whenever I asked questions about the expedition team. Eventually, she told me she would let Brelten explain and said no more on the subject. I could feel my anger bubble, and I returned to my senses when I heard Talis yelp.

"I'm so sorry, Talis. I didn't mean to squeeze yah there." I sputtered.

He rubbed his shoulder and gave me a worried look before giving me a faint smile. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, let's go. The others went crazy when they heard the news!"

Talis bolted into the village while Isaac stepped near Celanae and whispered into her ear. The two discussed something before Isaac melded back into the shadows. The town was subdued as we walked in. Usually, you'd find somebody walking about or conversing in the open. Walking past the guard building, I saw Marcus heading inside with Warren and Nadia. I didn't know if they knew I was alive, but I decided to go over later and invite them to dinner. Even if they only knew each other for a week or so, Nadia deserved to know what happened to Sam.

As we got closer to Oleanders, I started to get a bad feeling in my gut. Something about opening the door and walking in filled me with anxiety. Before Celenae could knock, the door busted open. I couldn't react fast enough as I was picked up and crushed. Áine launched herself into the air as Zharia squawked in alarm.

With slow hands, I crossed my arms over Bera's back and gave her an awkward pat. "Nice to see you, Bera. I think you're crushing me," I said.

"Cyrus, when Isaac said they found another survivor, I was so relieved. I knew Brelten should never have let you in that stupid rift," Bera said as she put me back down.

I grimaced and shook my head. "That doesn't matter right now. They said there were other survivors. Who?"

"Let's get everyone inside, and you can see for yourself."

I walked in after Bera and observed the room. Sitting at the bar were Dyllan and Edithe. Matias sat alone in the corner of the room, clenching a mug in his hand. In the center was the rest of Celanae's party, with Brelten standing next to Talis. When I walked in, the hushed whispers quieted, and they all turned to stare at me. On closer inspection, none of them looked good.

Dyllan looked like he hadn't slept in days, with his beard unkept and his eyes bloodshot. Edithe gripped the hem of her shirt as she avoided looking in my direction.

When I looked at Matias, he looked the worst of the lot. His clothes had multiple stains on them, and some dried flecks of dirt were all over his face. When he met my eyes, I found a lifeless man looking back at me. Him being alone meant one thing and one thing only. It wasn't hard to guess who died.

Brelten stood up and walked to me as Bera went behind the bar to grab me a drink. "Cyrus. I'm glad you're alive. I'm sorry for what happened."

A whirl of emotions went through my head, and I wasn't sure how to process his words. They felt wrong and insufficient, but I didn't blame him. The guilt that I had been burying started to crack its seal.

"I... Thank you, Brelten. It's not your fault. What happened in there was not something you could have predicted," I said neutrally.

His lips thinned, and I could feel the tension in the air. He backed up and pulled out a seat. "I'm hesitant to ask, but do you know if there are others? Nobody knows what happened after getting attacked, so we weren't sure what exactly happened."

I ignored the chair and remained standing. I only let out my breath when Bera came up and gently handed me a drink while patting my arm.

"We were betrayed. And the rift collapsed around us. I didn't even know you guys lived. I can't even tell how. The last time I saw you guys was when he used you all as sacrificial batteries."

Matias looked over, and I felt him glaring a hole through my skull. Edithe finally stopped and looked at me with a similar intensity.

"Can you start with what happened after the champion appeared?" he asked carefully.

I chugged my drink and sat it down. Grabbing a chair next to me, I turned it around and sat down. In detail, I explained how the morning went and what happened. There were a few clarifying questions about Arz'odral, but I remained uninterrupted as I recounted the details. When I explained what Arz'odral did to the others, Edithe started crying, and Dyllan comforted her.

Brelten held up a finger. "The system does not mess up like that easily. I've only ever seen it once, and that was when I went into a domain where the Grand Weave was cut off."

"It sounds like the original Arz'odral was at least partial divinity," Isaac cut in.

"If he were a trueborn of the Underworld, then that wouldn't be too surprising. I am no expert on the hierarchy of the higher realms like that one, but a baron is usually a third-tier demon. It would be safe to assume, as a viscount, they were at a minimum, an immortal. Their knowledge of how the Grand Weave works is much broader than ours," Brelten explained.

"And we're sure then that Cyrus wasn't collaborating with Arz'odral? He is, after all, a demon," Isaac accused.

Before Teddy could reach over and grab Isaac, there was the sound of splintering wood. Isaac was frozen in his spot as Bera had a hand around the back of his neck. Her eyes were orbs of green vapor, and her left hand was emitting an ominous black smoke.

"Isaac Dawnborne! With all that has happened to these people, you DO NOT GET TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT! I will have you wishing you were dead for the next week if you foolishly utter another sentence!" Bera bit out.

"He said there was a traitor, and we have to consider all the facts. It's suspicious that he's the only one alive who knew what happened!:" Isaac yelled.

Brelten held up both hands and gently coaxed Isaac out of Bera's grip. Her face was furious, and the rest of Isaac's team looked at him with disbelief.

"While I think Isaac should stop courting death, it's a fair question. And all we need to do in this situation is ask Cyrus himself," Brelten said.

My eye twitched, and I clenched my fists. "While I don't understand the fascination Arz had with me, I would never betray the team for them. I was only kept alive because he wanted me as his servant or slave. Otherwise, I'd have been put into the same situation as the others,"

"Thank you, Cyrus. If you can, please continue."

"When the spear killed the champion, Arz'odral showed up, and the final wave notification appeared. They ate the blood beast, and Orsk ran back into the townhall to enact the safety measures. There wasn't anything we could do. He empowered himself somehow by cannibalizing the champion and the blood beasts from the previous waves. He grabbed everyone but Melena, Caldur, Sam, and me. He used his blood to create some ritual. When Caldur and Melena attacked, he let himself get killed and finished the rift scenario. When the portal appeared, the ritual did something to it and corrupted it."

"So that's what happened. He probably changed it so that the exit point would be somewhere in a higher plane. Please continue."

"When he opened the townhall, it was... a massacre. All the villagers were dead, and their bodies were mutilated and burned. Orsk was bound to a table, and then Grimald appeared."

"Are you saying Grimald was the traitor? What for? He was always loyal to Melena and Caldur."

"Arz'odral promised to remove the slave sigil branded on him in exchange for taking Melena's body. After the ritual happened and Arz'odral transferred the slave brand to Caldur, Grimald left with the beastkin. The only reason I'm alive is that Orsk pointed out the safety measure he made before he died. Sam activated it, and it gave us enough time."

"Enough time to what? How did you escape? And where is Sam?"

"The rift was breaking. It was like reality was shattering itself into pieces and fading into the void. Sam sacrificed herself to save me and got pushed into the void. I jumped in after her." I had to pause and feel my heart racing as phantom memories started to race. "I don't know what happened next. I can't remember it, just pain. I found myself bleeding out and messed up inside the dungeon. I'm only alive because Áine was able to heal me. Even then, it took hours. My pathways were torn and strained."

An oppressive silence followed while Brelten glanced over at Bera, exchanging looks. Bera came over and refilled my cup. As I sipped some of the cold drink, there was a smash of wood, and the inn's door slammed open. Retas walked in, snarling as drool dripped down his fangs.

"Take it back! Take back what you said! Grimald would never! You lie! Where is Caldur? Where's Melena? Answer me!" Retas growled.

His clawed feet scratched the floor as he stomped his way in. He smacked the cup out of my hands and grabbed me by my vest. I let him pull me off the chair. His breath was hot and smelled of alcohol. The beastkin's chest bellowed like a drum, splattering my face in spit.

Seeing the beastkin was enough. The accusation, the denial, the audacity of the beastkin to call me a liar after all that had happened made me see red. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I understood he was more broken than I was. That he lost his twin, his brother, and friends. None of that mattered.

I sent a mental prompt to Zharia and channeled my mana. I had enough sense of presence to contain the damage to a minimum as I activated Spirit Lord's Invocation. Zharia melded into me as feathers sprouted across my body. The burning halo above my head settled into place, and I snarled back. My fangs were on full display as the bewildered beastkin tried to let go. I grasped his arms before he could back off and pulled him closer.

My body bursted into an explosion of golden fire, as the struggling tiger-man pushed at my arms, but I held on. As Retas howled in pain, I dug my claws into his flesh. I could feel it when he started to run mana down his arms. Before it reached his hands, I channeled an extra burst of mana and targeted his face. The whiplash from the cone of fire rocked his head back and interrupted his channeling.

When the bones in my arms snapped, I was pushed back, and Retas was snatched away by a series of vines. Without the mask on my face, I could see my reflection on one of the cups. I looked insane. Staring back at me was a grinning demon with sizzling blood and charred fur in my hair.

The others were screaming and saying something, but I ignored it. Isaac was by the doorway and had a dagger out. He watched me with an aloof look when I walked by him, and his eyes flickered across the room.

"You could have burnt down Bera's inn. I like this inn, and I like Bera a lot more. You're lucky; only your arms are broken. Apologize to her when you come back," he stated casually.

I nodded my head and continued walking out. The smell of fresh air hit me the moment I exited the building. Behind me, Retas was still screaming as he was restrained on top of a table by thick vines. Teddy was glowing a bright, white light with a frown on his face. My eyes roamed over the others and settled on Matias. He turned his head and raised his glass before taking a sip and watching the struggling beastkin.

A popping sound made me turn around and examine the town. I didn't see anyone else as all the other buildings were closed. Áine landed on my shoulder and pointed above me. When I looked up, I was met with a shaking head and crossed arms. Still in a suit but one made with a pattern of glossy black scales, his tail swished behind him in lazy sweeps.

"We need to talk, son," Cal said neutrally.