Stepping out of the room, Soren watched as the brick wall neatly folded upon itself and slid beneath the floor. In an instant, Mistress Solyara’s office was gone—replaced by the original corridor they had walked through. It was as if She had never been there to begin with.
Sighing, Soren took a step forward, following the path back to the large hall. His mind was swirling with everything he had just learned.
“Magecraft is the path to insanity, while Mysteries are the path to corruption,” Soren murmured the phrase to himself. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel encumbered by its weight.
After all, this statent was only applicable to others. Unlike everyone else, his affinities were tied directly to his Abstract Rune’s influence. srism could bend reality, as long as the illusion was believable in the eyes of others—a Mystery in of itself.
Therefore, the Anima Congruence principle not only blurs the cognitive definitions of what his anima represents, but it also causes it to get corrupted by the Fairy Witness rune’s influence and other outside factors…
To him, magecraft wasn’t just the path to insanity… It was also the path to corruption as well… Both had intertwined together, forming a rather deadly dilemma. The more he utilizes his magecraft, the further this corrosion of his identity will grow.
If he had to be honest, Soren had always suspected this to be the case. No one’s True Self in this world could hold a one to one representation of the Soul Weapon… This was an impossibility. A paradox born from his collusion with [The Faerie Court].
His original existence as it has been defined had clearly been changed… Whether it happened after the forces of fate began to play with his destiny or after was unknown, but he was sure that his trajectory in life wasn’t supposed to play out this way… And now, he must deal with its consequences.
The only solution he and Solyara could co up with was to reach the next Soul Realm stage. By reaching the Kindled stage, Soren would finally be able to imbue his anima with a new definition of his own choosing.
At the end of the day, the one in control of the Mysteries influencing him was his very own Runic Existence. Corrupted as it may be, it was still an entity that reflects who he was taphysically.
There’s no way in hell I’m going to allow the Fairy Witness rune to influence my existence… It must obey ! Not the other way around.
Even so, a part of him couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear… Indeed—it was just as Solyara had said it was: he was afraid of shedding his own skin. It had gotten to the point where he would hide it from those around him… only to fail miserably.
Both Myrin and Cassia were aware of these oddities within him. The sa goes for Rodrick and Uruk, who’s Sentinel instincts were sharp enough to realize it imdiately.
Even if I do reach the Kindled stage, I doubt it would end there… Soren knew that his lack of sanity wasn’t only a product of magecraft. It was simply a reflection of all his actions so far. The more the madness festered and grew, the more reckless his actions beca, which only fed into that growing madness…
I can’t believe it took this long to realize sothing this simple… Soren couldn’t help but question his own intelligence sotis. He shook his head while walking down the dim corridor.
More and more problems keep piling on—how exhausting…
At the mont, he still needed to reach the 2nd Circle using Pendragon’s theories, and then there were also his preparations for the Soul Alchemy ritual… Soren’s inevitable confrontation against the Fignt of his Imagination was swiftly approaching as well.
I should focus on reaching the 2nd Circle first… He inwardly thanked Isha’s grandmother who he had killed. If not for her giving him that book, he would have never even thought of such a theory.
I must manipulate the Beyond into creating the Material Runes I need… Which ant supplying his Heartdrinker Sigil with more of his own blood. Just thinking about it made him want to give up.
Sighing, Soren turned the corner only to bump into soone familiar. Donning the usual silver robe decorated with star-like patterns was a vibrantly blonde haired young man, smiling ear to ear. He held tightly to a basket full of vegetables, as if eager to follow a certain recipe. His golden eyes seed stuck in the clouds, roaming with endless ideas and thoughts. The Elven Songster almost didn’t notice him.
“It seems the rumors are true, Myrin.” Soren shook his head. “Are you practicing for your newly acquired Chef’s Delight rune?”
Seeing his familiar companion walking again, Myrin’s eyes widened a bit. “You’re awake? Since when?!”
“An hour or so ago.” Soren replied. He glanced behind him curiously, “I didn’t think this place would be this massive.”
The Soothing Bard nodded. “You should go up the tower to the highest floor. Out of all three temples, the one we’re currently in is the tallest. And there’s also a telescope for us to stargaze with… The sisters of the temple promised to bring there later. Want to co along?”
Soren shook his head. “I have a lot to catch up on—I missed a whole week apparently. And as you know, I’m sowhat short on ti.”
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“I see…” Myrin shook his head. “There’s a next ti for everything.” He smiled warmly.
Soren walked past him, heading for the grandiose hall. But not before stopping to ask one last question:
“Cassia… Is she okay?”
Myrin paused, unsure of how to answer. Eventually, he sighed:
“She’s… healthy. But her mind still remains sowhat dormant. Talking to her is useless at the mont. I tried soothing her with my flute but even that didn’t really help.”
“I see…” Soren’s heart tightened a bit.
“Perhaps you should give her a visit? If you head back to the hall, one of the sisters there will lead you to her room.”
Soren thought about it for a few seconds before nodding his head.
“I will see what I can do.”
With that said, the two went their separate ways. Though Myrin showed no signs of it, Soren was sure that the Elven Songster was fairly stressed as well… Even with how glamorous his skin was, there was no hiding his eyebags.
It must have weighed on him heavily… Knowing that both his companions were not around…
In that mont, a part of him regretted declining his offer to stargaze. As he walked further down the corridor, Soren shook his head.
“Ti is running out…”
The sa echoed true for Myrin… He must rge with his newly acquired rune as soon as possible too. Busy schedules for both of them it seems.
Finding Cassia’s room turned out to be simpler than he thought. From Venissa’s explanation, the Three Temples were once a dungeon in ancient tis—now conquered and under the firm control of the Eldest Sisters.
With this newly acquired supervision, they were able to control the very layout of everything inside. From the rooms, hallways, defenses… Even the foundational structure of the walls themselves.
“Dungeons…” He mumbled to himself. Dungeons were a profound Mystery that even his [Eyes of the Fairy] couldn’t fully explain.
Despite gaining an Expression fragnt’s worth of influence, his ability to perceive and understand how the phenona inside them function was still severely hindered.
However, he did understand that the manipulation of space itself seed to be a rather big factor. All the dungeons he was aware of were related to this domain in so way. Whether it be the Dungeon Doors themselves, or their ever-shifting Labyrinthine corridors that shift on their own without anyone noticing…
Even so, to see it up close was truly strange… Solyara’s room erging out of nowhere was one thing, but he was now witnessing an entire corridor morph before his eyes.
He watched as Venissa snapped her fingers, letting the entire hall disappear behind a veil of ever-shifting stone bricks. The floor beneath him rocked and waved, as his very surroundings changed.
It only took a few minutes for the whole sequence to end. What reflected in his eyes was another corridor, this one brightly lit by equidistant lamps nailed to the walls. Their blue flas radiated a soothing chill.
Then, a door erged in front of him, ready to be pushed open. Soren shifted his gaze to Venissa who stood beside him—the smile on her face slowly disappearing.
“I will return to the hall to watch over the sisters… Simply think about leaving and the temple should shift again.
“May the Orbits grace your path.”
With those words said, the proud astrologer turned around and disappeared behind a wall of sliding bricks.
Soren turned to face the door once again. For a second, his hesitation held him back. He didn’t know whether bothering Cassia now would be a good idea. What if it only made her rember what happened? Soren wasn’t a therapist… He himself needed one.
With all these thoughts floating in his mind, he finally shook his head and sighed:
“Fuck it.”
A loud knock echoed across the brick-layered halls.
“Cassia? Are you in there?”
He waited for a response that never ca.
“It’s , Soren. I’ve been unconscious for the past week—I’ve co to visit you. Can I co in?”
He was t with silence once again. Soren knocked and announced his presence a few tis before finally giving up.
A more forceful approach was needed.
He took a deep breath and reached for the door.
“I’m going to enter.”
As the stone door cracked open, Soren was t with pitch-black darkness. Shadows clung to every crevice and corner—making him feel as if he had entered an emotionless void.
And yet, there was still sothing to be seen regardless. Centered within the nothingness were a pair of vertically slitted eyes… Deep amber in color, like yellow suns shining in space. But to Soren, they were a familiar scene.
Cassia was staring directly at him—her gaze eerily frozen.
It felt as if she wasn’t really staring at him, but past him. Confusion and worry settled in his chest as he raced to think of what to say.
“Why have you been avoiding everyone? Myrin and I are worried about you. Would you like to have a chat?”
She continued locking eyes with him, but never said anything in the end, leaving them both frozen in silence.
Stillness filled the air. Even the dust hesitated to fall from the ceiling. No matter what he said, a response was never heard back. And yet, his senses were still able to notice other things in the endless dark:
The scent of blood.
His eyes widened in shock. “Don’t tell …” He couldn’t see anything and yet the image forming in his mind was rather obvious. She was sitting upon a pool of blood. Her own blood…
“Why?! Why do you keep hurting yourself?!
“The lie wasn’t your fault! It was Kaalan who utilized it to his own advantage! It was your God who responded to your misguided wish!” Soren couldn’t tell who he was angry at anymore.
“How can you call yourself Mistress Sienna’s disciple if you’re this pathetic! Will feeling guilt for sothing you cannot be blad for change the outco?!
“Wake the fuck up! Uruk and Isha are probably still alive—you can still go back to the village and help them rebuild!
His voice echoed across the infinite corridor. In between heavy breaths, Soren watched Cassia’s glowing eyes keenly. Even now, they remained still—as if she were a statue.
Just as he was about to grit his teeth, he heard a soft voice from across the darkness:
“Soren Andersen… The Traveler.
“Kill . End my life quickly.”
Soren furrowed his brows. “What…”
A radiant fla lit up the room, chasing away the shadows. Soren squinted, trying to get a better look at Cassia who was now visible under the flickering light. Her arms had been transford—endlessly layered in scales.
Soren instinctively reached for his wand. Just as he was about to ask, he heard her speak once again:
“Please kill .”
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