Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“You survived the Zealot,” Death stated.

Ruwen tilted his head toward Echo and responded in a whisper. “Her dad gave us an opportunity to escape.”

“I saw.”

“Through Echo?” Ruwen asked.

Death nodded. “I’m surprised you managed to escape the cathedral.”

“I created a hole in the Zealot’s defenses with Harmony.” Ruwen tilted his head toward Echo. “Is she going to be okay?”

“The most dangerous time is past. Thank you.”

“Thank you? Why?”

Death studied the sleeping Echo resting against Ruwen’s side. “Much was sacrificed to give Echo the chance at becoming this Tower’s disciple. One wouldn’t think Death needs saving, but you have likely done so twice this day.”

Ruwen thought that was exaggerating a bit. He’d mostly just sat here silently cursing himself for not knowing what to say or do. On the other hand, the Saraph before him was the manifestation of Death itself, so if anyone would know, it was probably him.

“If you say so. You’re welcome, I guess. I was just trying to be a good friend.”

“Yes, I witnessed that. Normally I remain indifferent to the world outside my tower, but I find myself in debt to you not only for the cymatics but for the safe passage of my disciple.”

“Cymatics?” Ruwen asked.

“What you call sound-shapes.”

Ruwen had given the Death Tower the five cymatics that Lir had pieced together from the Hardening Sigils found in the Tower dungeons.

“Cymatics,” Ruwen repeated. “I like the sound of that.”

Normally Ruwen would have laughed about his play on words, but Echo’s emotional turmoil had taken a toll on him and he didn’t even crack a smile.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Ruwen said.

Death bowed from his sitting position. “You have a generous heart, which is likely another reason I have the desire to help you.” Death pointed at him. “You’ve regained your human form. That increases your chance of surviving.”

That got Ruwen’s attention. “Survive what?”

Echo’s soft snoring was the only sound in the cavern as Ruwen turned his full attention on the Death avatar.

“Surviving your third evolution,” Death said, “assuming that is your intention.”

Ruwen currently expended a large amount of his Mental Energy keeping himself anchored in his human form. If he didn’t, he’d snap back into his Destruction Realm form, Ruin Val’dor in a blink. It felt like holding a rock over a cliff. As soon as he let go, the rock would fall to a lower state. He’d come to the conclusion that he likely needed a Creation Realm evolution to balance the Destruction Realm form but he hadn’t mentioned that to anyone.

The third form wasn’t just for balance either. When Ruwen had reached level fifty as Ruin Val’dor the Class Specialization he’d received, Avatar of Cycles, had used the number of evolutions he’d undergone as part of its selection criteria. It had said two of four. That referenced his human and saraph forms.

When Ruwen had asked the Death Avatar about evolutions before, it had said telling him anything might affect his progress.

“What changed?” Ruwen asked. “You didn’t want to talk about evolutions before.”

“That brings us full circle,” Death said. “The reason involves you being a ‘good friend’ as you put it.”

“I’m listening.”

The Death Avatar turned and pointed at the energy pool and the three Fortification Cocoons submerged there. “This location is adequate for your three friends, but not optimal.”

“Optimal for what?” Ruwen asked, concerned.

“You’ve already figured out many things go into advancing Body Fortification. The type of energy, its purity, density, and so on.”

“Yes, that’s why I bound the three cocoons together. I was hoping they’d benefit from Sift’s advanced Soul.”

“Just so. The Soul power of the Mystic will help the Entanglement Priestess some but will hurt the Blood Witch.”

Ruwen wanted to jump to his feet but didn’t want to wake Echo, who still leaned against him. “Please explain. And why did you use those names?”

The avatar’s face didn’t show any expression, and the eyes were solid like a golem, which made reading the avatar impossible.

“If the Blood Witch is Fortified with only Spirit or Soul energy, it will greatly inhibit her blood magic both in use and growth. Almost certainly she would never open another Node. If she can incorporate even a small amount of Destruction essence in her Fortification she has a chance at advancing her blood powers.”

“She’ll die from Destruction Essence,” Ruwen argued.

“Her Blood Array has at least one open Node. This provides some resistance, and her body can tolerate Destruction Essence.”

“Can that be done without killing her?”

“Usually, no. But I am an expert on death and can manage such a threshold. I called her a Blood Witch because she taps the power of her blood while utilizing recipes to enhance her magic.”

“And Hamma and Sift?”

“The Priestess gains the most from the Creation Realm, but the Mystic will as well. Creation essence is a natural fit for them both.”

Ruwen already knew why the Death Avatar called Hamma an Entanglement Priestess. That became apparent when they’d entered a rift and found the machines of the Nexus faction. They’d discovered research there into an Affinity Wheel which seemed to be an attempt to organize concepts. It had awakened or triggered a rare ability inside Hamma called Entanglement which Ruwen still wasn’t the clearest about.

“Is it safe there? Who will protect them? How would they get there?”

Ruwen wanted the best for his friends, but all the unknowns worried him.

Death nodded as if he’d expected these concerns. “I have spoken with the Avatar of Life. She has agreed to protect them. Know however that once they complete their Fortification, they will immediately enter the Creation Trial.”

“Is that dangerous? Do you trust the Life Tower?”

“For your friends, the Creation Trial poses little risk. Regarding their safety, creation entities don’t kill. They can imprison, but usually they expel those they don’t desire. Normally we’d encounter this hurtle when trying to enter that Realm, but we’d send your friends through via the back door. Life is waiting there to collect them.”

Ruwen whipsawed between concern for his friends’ safety and doing what would help them the most. Optimizing self-improvement was near and dear to him and provided a powerful argument for agreeing to Death’s proposal.

“And the names?” Ruwen asked, providing more time to think.

“Entanglement femites are rare, but not unknown to us. I sense them in the Priestess and her magic originates from the Creation Realm. Fortifying there would unlock far more of her power not to mention she would be revered by the tribes, which you might need in the future. The one you called Sift has already begun linking with the natural world. A process initiated by the tattoo he bears. Normally I would have referred to him as a Druid or Shaman but his Soul is advanced, which points to a deeper understanding of the world.”

Ruwen recalled the tattoo that Sift had won from that arrogant lord that had hassled them in Pour Judgement. It was supposed to increase Sift’s bond with Shelly, but it sounded like it was doing more than that.

“I’m still confused,” Ruwen said. “We started this conversation because you referenced surviving my third evolution and that somehow turned into a conversation about my friends. What do you know about evolutions?”

“Multiple evolutions are supremely rare and never successful. Yet here you sit with two. The lore surrounding evolutions dates back to the creation of the Realm of Bones. Those called Voidwalkers were said to have experienced four such evolutions. The reason this involves your friends is because you will need powerful Creation Realm allies if you ever wish to attempt a Creation evolution.”

“Why would I need allies?”

“Because order flows to chaos, harmony to dissonance, and creation to destruction. You have violated this natural sequence. Because you hold Destruction, the Creation Realm will repel you. Everything there will resist you.”

“Can’t I just take the backdoor like you want to do with Hamma and Sift?”

“There are safeguards to keep Destruction essence from reaching the Creation Realm. You would be ripped apart during the dimensional transition.”

That confirmed the backdoor Death wanted to use. The energy left the bottom of the Destruction Realm, crossed through the fourth dimension and into the top of the Creation Realm. The entire structure was like a bottle whose bottom connected to the top through this extra dimension.

“That means if something happened to Hamma and Sift in the Creation Realm, it would be hard for Lylan and I to go help them.”

“Virtually impossible,” Death confirmed.

“Is the Destruction Realm okay?”

“Damaged, but I and the other four towers stopped the worst of it from propagating. Assuming you don’t do any more harm, it will heal.”

Some of the tension left Ruwen. “Thank you.”

Death nodded and an awkward silence fell between them. Ruwen knew Death wanted an answer about Hamma, Sift, and Lylan but Ruwen couldn’t decide what to do. He did what he always did in situations like this, he changed the subject.

“When I entered the Dark Tower’s dungeon it suppressed a bunch of my abilities, including Harmony. How do you do that? I was afraid the Zealot might have something similar in his Cathedral. The timing there was tight, and even a slight delay might have led to a disastrous outcome.”

“We only possess a fraction of our power this far from the origin, although that changes by the minute. Still, the fact you overcame the Dark Tower’s suppression surprised us all. Our suppression of the other magics is a combination of intuition and Willpower, so I can’t give you an accurate description. Truthfully, I’ve never pondered it but will spend some time examining those abilities and reveal any findings I discover.”

“Thank you.”

The silence descended again, and Ruwen hadn’t yet decided what to do about his friends.

Overlord? Have you been listening to this?

Yes, and I’m on the fence.

Uruziel? What do you think?

I think doubting the Death Tower now is pointless. You already entrusted your friends to the tower before leaving to fight the Zealot. If the Tower had intended foul play, it would’ve already occurred.

Good point.

Ruwen focused back on the Death Tower’s avatar. “I’m okay with you moving my friends. I’m trusting you.”

Death bowed. “I understand and appreciate your confidence. I only want what is best for your friends, and ultimately for you.”

Ruwen nodded to Echo, who still snored softly in his arm. “What about her?”

“My connection with Echo has grown considerably thanks to your harmonic manipulation and her acceptance. If you leave her here she will recover in time.”

Ruwen detected an unstated opinion. “You think she’ll heal faster if she’s with me.”

“Not necessarily with you, but with anyone who cares for her. She will need to rebuild much of her identity and confidence. That always happens faster in a supportive environment. I lost most of those skills long ago.”

“You and me both,” Ruwen said.

“If you say so. From my experience, for one with your power, you are extraordinarily empathetic.”

Ruwen gave a small nod of acknowledgement. “Thanks. Do you want me to relay anything to Echo when she wakes up?”

“My connection with Echo has grown enough that we can communicate at will regardless of her location. I appreciate the offer. Please rest easy regarding your friends. The benefits far outweigh any risks.”

Death disappeared and Ruwen rested his head against the cavern wall. Echo, still pressed against him, made his side hot. He tried not to worry about his decision regarding his friends. Uruziel was right. The time for that had passed.

Ruwen’s thoughts turned to Echo and what the Death Tower had recommended. Echo needed friends and some type of support system, but he didn’t know enough about her to know if such a place existed.

It only took a handful of seconds to reach the obvious conclusion. There was only one place Ruwen could take Echo.