As the raelons final breath rattled across the dunes, Tiraeses, still covered in blood, roared incoherently in savage triumph and launched himself at the creatures corpse. Leon followed, though he kept his elation at the successful hunt under wraps. To defeat such a large and powerful creature was thrilling, but the manic way that Tiraeses threw himself at the monster, not to ntion the injuries hed sustained, concerned Leon.
Tiraeses reached the raelon first and began battering its corpse with fists of light. Without the monsters magic to protect it, its body was torn asunder by Tiraeses strikes. Leon had to be careful with his approach lest he be covered in black blood and chunks of monstrously mutated at.
Sothing he found rather distressing was that despite Tiraeses furious violence, the greater being done to the raelons corpse was from the darkness magic saturating the environntblack translucent clouds gathered about the dead monster and ate away at its exposed flesh like acid.
Tiraeses! Leon called out, but the monk either ignored or didnt hear him. Instead, he kept shouting and leveling terrible blows upon their defeated foe.
[I daresay this man has lost his mind,] Xaphan whispered.
[Killing a creature such as this is no small feat,] the Thunderbird replied, [but this is a bit much.]
[Are you familiar with such beasts?] Leon asked his Ancestor.
[Not this one specifically,] the Thunderbird said, [but the Primal Gods and Devils were known to twist living beings to suit specific purposes. Or even if they simply felt like it.]
Leons thoughts montarily turned to Krithis and the results of its workJormuns transformation into a Great Horned Serpent, and his own Thunderbird forms. [That doesnt surprise with the Primal Gods; they seed rather well-versed in light magic, werent they? And light magics greatest strength is influencing the body]
[Primal Gods utilized every magical elent,] the Thunderbird corrected. [Light is sothing they certainly leaned into, but the Primal Gods held no reservations about using any elent they thought would aid them in their goals.]
[Was it the sa for the Primal Devils?]
[Generally yes, but when it ca to darkness magic, I doubt even the Shadow Kings of Khosrows Law know more than the Primal Devils did about darkness and the way it affects the mind. However, to mutate sothing to better fulfill desired purposes, the Primal Gods and Devils differed, with the Gods preferring to use light to twist the body and the Devils using darkness to twist the mind. The end result is often the sathe perversion of both mind and bodybut the actual thods were worlds apart. You can sense the darkness here, cant you? This entire plane has been tainted by the power of a Primal Devil.]
[Ill keep our lightning close, then,] Leon said.
[Wait, wait, wait,] Xaphan responded, [are you actually making a prudent decision? Sothing wise and not cautious? Well dampen my ashes and call ink, I can hardly believe my ears.]
[The wise and cautious thing to do would be to leave,] the Thunderbird replied. [Leon, my boy, I will be honest with you: this problem youre investigating is far beyond you. You should not be here. I believe I was told you have a thod to depart?]
[Ambrose did give sothing I can use to leave, yes,] Leon confird.
[Waste no ti in using it.]
Leon frowned, deep unease settling into the pit of his stomach. If the Thunderbird herself thought he shouldnt stay, then Hed been gone for only a matter of a few hours, and hed hardly seen most of the plane yet. And yet, his only job was to investigate the plane, and hed done that; it was a swamp of darkness conjured by a Primal Devil.
Despite that, Tiraeses had survived, his very presence keeping Leon from agreeing with the Thunderbird. If Tiraeses survived, then surely there could be other survivors? He didnt know if the entire plane was covered in this power, and even if it had been, there could be many others like Tiraeses out there.
Besides, ten mages had been sent before him, one from each of the other planes of the Divine Graveyard. While Leon knew nothing about the other Grave Wardens, he couldnt imagine that all ten of them sent their mages without thods for returning ho, and yet all ten had gone missing. An ill portent for him, to be sure, and he didnt think anyone would bla him for leaving at this point, if only to avoid a similar fate. The Grave Wardens were also apparently assuming the worst already and preparing to destroy Arkhnavi in nine months
[Ill think about it,] Leon finally replied to the Thunderbird. [I wont overstay my welco and Ill keep the silver twig close.]
[There it is,] Xaphan responded with an unsurprised tone. [We just got done praising your caution, Leon, and here you are continuing to risk your life. Well fucking done, I say.]
[Xaphan, youre sending mixed ssages.]
[The tiny, flickering match doesnt have your best interests at heart; pay him no mind. See to yourself first and foremosteveryone else on this plane is dead and wont appreciate your sacrifice. Leave, and let the Grave Wardens clean up their own ss.]
Leon sighed, but as he was formulating his response, Tiraeses finally cried out one final ti and ended his manic assault upon the raelons corpse. He stood there, hit feet subrged in the dusty dunes, his eyes wide and wild, light still glowing around his knuckles. But his face slowly morphed into one of muted despair, and the monk collapsed to his knees.
Its over he whispered. The misshaped cri against the gods has t its end My brothers have been av He cut himself off, a look of horror crossing his face as he squeezed his eyes and mouth shut.
Leon waited a mont for him to recover, but after a few agonizingly long seconds, he asked, Tiraeses, whats wrong?
Tiraeses knelt in the dust for another few seconds before taking a deep breath, visibly summoning his courage, and muttering, Blood must be the last resort, and spilled not for its own sake. Revel not in violence, for it only destroys. Seek justice, not vengeance Finally, Tiraeses opened his eyes and turned slightly toward Leon. I apologize, Leon, Mad Thelior took my senses for a mont. The gods teach us to value hospitality, and yet Ive put on such a shaful display for you, my honored guest.
Leon waved, a shallow smile crossing his lips behind his helt. Dont worry about it. Ive been known to indulge in violence myself, from ti to ti. And believe , I get it; when sothing harms you or yours, then the emotions can get intense. I wont judge you for losing your mind a little bit.
Your generosity only shas further, Tiraeses whispered as he forced himself back to his feet. The Red-Eyed One has taken many of my brothers thanks to this creature, and now that its followed them I dont know how to handle myself. Seventy years Ive lived here, long past the ruin of this land. Hope left long ago.
The monk fell silent, and Leon didnt want to break it, so he stood there with Tiraeses for several minutes as the man processed the death of the raelon.
Finally, he quietly suggested, Lets head back to my sanctuary. Allow to show you so proper hospitality before we set out on our journey.
Youre still going to help ? To make our way to the center of the plane?
Tiraeses gave him an almost incredulous look. I gave my word: aid in felling the raelon, and I would be your guide. You have fulfilled your part beyond anything I couldve hoped for. To go back on my word would condemn in the eyes of the gods.
Leon smiled a little awkwardly and decided to accept the invitation. He supposed a day or two to rest and get a better lay of the land would aid him in deciding how to proceed.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringent.
Just one thing, Leon said before they left. What should we do about the corpse? Any useful materials to be salvaged from within it?
Nothing of value could possibly co from such a devilish creature, Tiraeses scornfully stated. I would say that its only use at this point is to give to Amatin, Lady of the Land, but it seems the devils want to take even that away He gestured back at the remains of the raelon, and Leon noticed that the rate at which the darkness seed to be eating the corpse had increased. At the rate it was going, the raelons corpse wouldnt even last until they leftthough he thought that maybe a monster core might be found within it. Still, he didnt need it and decided to go with Tiraeses assessnt.
Together, the two left the raelon to decompose. Tiraeses led Leon back to the mountains and one of the entrances to his monastery. Both were silent the whole way back, save for a mont when Leon expressed so concern over Tiraeses injuries. The ninth-tier light mage, however, had healed completely by the ti they descended beneath the surface of the stony mountains.
---
The night spent in the monastery was one Leon largely spent alone. He spoke with Xaphan and the Thunderbird at so length about the specific kind of power they sensed outside, though no real conclusions were reached. Tiraeses, anwhile, wanted so ti alone. Given it was likely to be his last in the place hed called ho, Leon decided to not press the man for any pressing information. He knew all too well how emotionally crushing it was to leave ho, never to return, and Tiraeses had spent more ti in the monastery than Leon had in existence, so he imagined leaving was that much worse for the old monk.
To his gratitude, though, Tiraeses did after several hours give Leon access to the rooms where the monasterys enchantnts had been inscribed. The monk reasoned, This place shall soon only exist in Mulitan, Lord of morys domain. There is no point in remaining secretive about its defenses.
The enchantnt control room was remarkably different from what Leon was experienced in dealing with. For starters, the massive room was divided into several dozen interconnected hallways, and the ground, ceiling, and walls were covered in millions of runes. But that wasnt all; the room utilized three-dinsional enchantnts, with long lines of runes of light weaving through the air, snaking around corners, and connecting enchantnts in different halls to each other.
For a while, Leon was a bit confused as he knew the monastery also included at least one ancient rune in its warding sche, but it took him so ti to actually find it, and when he did, he was quite impressed with how it had been utilized.
The rune, complex enough that Leon knew it was a very specific rune with a narrow function, sat in the center of a runic circle made from modern runes. The circle amplified and spread the ancient runes power, compensating, Leon supposed, for the lack of conscious will directing the runeor, perhaps, allowing anyone to use the rune without much effort. He wasnt able to say much, but he spent a large amount of ti taking copious notes and trying to copy as much of the monasterys enchantnt sche as he could. He could tell it had been made by a master; an idea which was only reinforced when he discovered other ancient runes included in the warding sche, each one just as seamlessly integrated as the first.
Such mastery of enchanting Leon marveled, I wish I couldve t whoever designed all of this
When Tiraeseswho had left Leon to his examinations while he mourned in peaceca to check in on him, Leon asked who the enchanter in question was.
Laylen, Tiraeses answered fondly, a look of deep nostalgia crossing his face. A quiet man, but blessed beyond most others by Wise Farangeun. He rarely spoke, and when he did, I often felt like I had to pray to Wise Farangeun with all my heart just to understand a fraction of what Laylen had to saybut when he spoke, his voice carried more passion than most others have for their spouses.
Leon smirked. Such obsession he could understand. Were he neither a King nor a husband, he could easily see himself devoting himself wholeheartedly to the art of enchanting in a similar manner.
By Mulitan, Lord of mory, I rember him sleeping down here more than once. Rare was he seen outside of these halls, constantly tinkering with all of this.
Do you mind asking what he was trying to do? Leon asked. A lot of these enchantnts are complex or bespoke enough that I can hardly tell what theyre supposed to do; their functions are hardly mundane utility
Tiraeses expression fell a fraction. There are many things I would ask of Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven, and one of them is to know what Laylen had been doing down here. I wish I knew.
Leon sighed. Of all the enchantnts in the halls, hed only managed to identifywith the Thunderbirds helpthe one that had kept him out of the monastery in the first place, while there were at least half a dozen others spread throughout the vast web of enchantnts. Leon copied them all down though, and he hoped that upon returning ho, Nestor would be able to help him in deciphering them.
One ti, Tiraeses continued, I was forced to co down here after Laylen hadnt been seen for three days straight. I found him arguing with himself over the best place to inscribe a new rune. Right here! No, a tenth of an inch to the right! Idiot, it should be one one-hundredth of an inch to the right! He did that often: argue with himself aloud. It seed to help him to vocalize his thoughts.
Tiraeses voice caught in his throat and his eyes beca rather misty. He blinked several tis and cleared his throat. Apologies, I dont an to lose myself in the land of Mulitan, Lord of mory.
No, please, Im your guest. Id love to hear more of the people who lived here, if youre willing to share.
Tiraeses slowly smiled. He took a deep breath as his eyes slid away from Leon and settled on nothing in particular. I rember Azliep, who loved to fish. He was more known by the fishern of our local watershed than he was even by us! If ever there was a fisherman who couldnt catch enough to feed his family, Azliep would work hard to help him provide, even if it ant he returned to our sanctuary late.
Reykh Moerum was a forr Lord, who abdicated in favor of his son before retiring here, to spend his last days honoring the gods. The stories of politics he could tell I lost my appetite for politics a long ti ago, and his stories only validated my distaste. However, even I never knew that politics could be so petty!
Leon nodded sagely. Ive known so petty politicians in my ti, he agreed. Those who would throw thousands to their deaths out of pride and vanity.
All politics are inherently vain, Tiraeses said with an amused grin. Such were the first words I ever heard Brother Bulian Khelum say. He fancied himself a philosopher, but I think he just hated the King he once served. He was never so alive as he was after hed received news of his ho and had fresh complaints about those who ruled it. Our our last night spent here before we went to confront the raelon he tried to lift our spirits by going on a long rant about how
Tiraeses stuttered and paused. For a mont, hed looked thrilled to speak of his brothers, but now, his expression was sliding back into deep sorrow.
He launched a long rant about how Kings should all be torn from their thrones, he quietly reminisced. He had radical beliefs about building a new system to replace Kings and Lordsand even, if he were drunk enough, the gods themselves! A new system where all worked for the benefit of all, a system where money was abolished, and more. I confess that I hadnt paid much attention at the ti, focused as I was on my prayers. But many of my other brothers seed to find much amusent in Khelums words, for they soon laughed him into silence. mories of their laughter have kept warm for many years.
Thats quite a view to have, Leon said with a grin. Im not surprised he was here instead of continuing to serve his King. I dont know how I would handle soone like that in my court
Your court? Tiraeses whispered in montary confusion. I had assud that you would be soone of importance back in on Aeterna, but a King? By Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven, should I fall to my knees and beg for your rcy and understanding in my not following any court protocol? Tiraeses grinned at Leon, clearly in jest.
Leon laughed, though he supposed he ought to have told Tiraeses exactly who he was before this mont. When hed told the man his story, hed focused mostly on his encounters with Ambrose and Krithis, he hadnt long dwelled on his other adventures, or where theyd left him.
No, no, he said with a wave of his hand, Please, dont get too formal with , Im a long way from my court and I have little patience for such ceremony anyway.
Humility is a great virtue Tiraeses murmured, his smile growing slightly.
So so say, Leon replied. Others would say that a King ought to be at least a little arrogant. A King cant be seen as weak or vulnerable, after all, else his enemies might try to take advantage of him.
Tiraeses shrugged. As you say. Im more concerned with how to be a good and virtuous man, and Khelum and I at least agree that to be both a good man and a good King one must be in so ways beyond human. Well may Just Helior forgive that small deception; Khelum believed it is impossible to be a good King and a good man, both.
Ive seen so truly shit monarchs, Leon conceded. But others others have been quite good. Or at least had good intentions and the will to follow through on those intentions. I try to be the latter, though I was crowned less than a year ago, so I think its a little early to say how well Ive done.
If youre willing to co here just to see what has happened Tiraeses whispered. He went quiet for a long mont, and after looking around, his eyes remaining unfocused and not lingering long on anything in the halls, he simply said, I will leave you to study Laylens work. I pray to Mulitan, Lord of mory, that it never be forgotten. There are other things in this sanctuary that I must preserve, too.
Without another word, Tiraeses departed the halls, and Leon didnt try to stop him. Leon wasnt sure what was on his mind, but given all that had happened in the past day, on top of seventy years of apparent isolation, he wasnt going to deny Tiraeses so desired privacy. Instead, he turned his attention back to the enchantnts. He was sure they were going to speak at least once more anyway, if only to get on the sa page about where to go once they left the monastery.
And, as ideas rushed through Leons head after studying the enchantnts, how they might repel the darkness magic that filled the air outside
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