The rhythmic blows of Bultras’s hammer had continued unabated for five straight days. Only a small bundle of smattering embers remained of the cursed flame, yet Zac felt like he was standing atop a sun thanks to the blacksmith’s refinement technique. Drops of sweat poured down his face as he prepared to extract the threads of spirituality from a piece of obsidian glass.
His actions didn’t only hold the practiced expertise gained from years of practice inside the Perennial Vastness. The deep thumps contained a special rhythm that gave Zac the impression he was hearing the continent’s heartbeat. Bultras’s methods were exquisite, and her actions weren’t limited to melting and molding the unstable metals after Zac was done with them.
Her Blacksmithing technique conveyed critical information in a more direct way than words. The thumps and the roars of Bultras’s personal Spiritual Flame were closer to the Dao Words Esmeralda used. They acted like the conductor of an opera, allowing him and Alea to seamlessly join Bultras into a singular purpose.
Bultras might not be some renowned character whose fame shook the lands, but she was a master artisan with over thirty thousand years of experience under her belt. Apart from a few hiccups at the start of their cooperation, the process had been incredibly smooth. With [Love’s Bond] being a perfect creation crafted with the System’s help, there were no hidden weaknesses that could throw a wrench in their plans.
If there was a weak link in the team, it was Zac. He lacked what Bultras had in spades: practical experience. The time he’d spent practicing [Cosmic Forge] was woefully short in comparison and mostly limited to his time in the E-grade. His practice on Middle D-grade materials was almost non-existent, causing the unfortunate loss of a few materials. Thankfully, his other side quickly came to the rescue.
Zac extracted another sliver of pure enlightenment from [Purity of the Void], and the exhaustion from drawing on his Soul Cores and analyzing the complex compositions of materials was swept away. The confusing jumble was made clear, and Zac skillfully adjusted the patterns he’d drawn with his Omnitool. He’d figured out a more stable approach to extract the heterogenous parts from the Death-attuned glass.
It wasn’t just luck that had placed Zac’s human half near a region filled with Dead Dao from the Lost Era. Zac had known from the start that he wasn’t completely ready to handle Alea’s breakthrough, so he’d sent his other side to look for corruption to refine. Ultom’s epiphanies were more than enough to guide Zac through the process, much to Bultras’s shock.
To her, it looked like Zac was improving at monstrous speed, and she wasn’t strictly wrong. The experience and insights he was accumulating weren’t limited to the current session. Zac was learning by doing, making more progress with [Cosmic Forge] in days than he’d do from months of normal practice. If he could stay inside a corrupted zone for another month or two, Zac believed he could finish his quest to unlock the third chapter, [Essence Union].
With the Outer Courts calling, the chances of that happening were slim. Should Zac find the time, there were more pressing issues that could benefit from Ultom’s light. Even now, he didn’t let his thoughts wander to avoid further mistakes. He could endure the loss of materials. The problem was that both he and Bultras were using large amounts of Mental Energy, increasing the risk of mistakes.
There was also the absorption of the Spiritual Flame that forced constant progress, not to mention the increasingly unstable spatial fold giving them a strict deadline. If Alea and the materials to be refined were a stage higher, Zac wasn’t sure they’d make it through without running out of energy. Thankfully, they were only dealing with a Middle D-grade upgrade.
Two days later, the last material smoothly went into the growing embryo. The last embers of the cursed flame were also absorbed, officially severing the cave’s connection to the Natural Curse. The folded space shuddered, now solely kept open by Spatial Crystals the Elemental had installed to keep the space stable during his modifications. If those failed, they’d have to continue the process in the middle of the park.
There was still no sign of Esmeralda, but Zac wasn’t too worried. She wouldn’t have infiltrated the Natural Curse without great confidence in her ability to return. Zac suspected she was off somewhere, counting her spoils or resting. Zac wouldn’t have minded a nap himself, but there was one more step to finish.
Alea’s breakthrough was technically complete. The pitch-black liquified blob would soon harden into a cocoon if they stopped. It was the same as her previous breakthroughs. Except, Zac didn’t have a Temporal Chamber to throw Alea into this time, and he couldn’t go years without his main weapon inside the trial.
Most importantly, Alea wasn’t necessarily able to complete the transformation herself. She didn’t have the [Divine Investiture Array] to help, and taking control over the Spiritual Flame was already taking up much of her efforts. They needed Bultras to expedite the fusion of materials and roughly shape [Love’s Bond] to its new appearance. Alea would only need to add the finishing touches, drastically lowering the difficulty and time requirement.
“Ignite!” Bultras roared as the flames in her eyes reached new heights.
Zac looked on with interest as two gates appeared above and below the Tool Embryo, creating a pillar of intense flames that far surpassed the Spiritual Flame Bultras had used to melt the materials. After recent experiences, Zac briefly thought Bultras had conjured gates to a fiery Lower Plane. He soon realized that wasn’t the case. There were no spatial fluctuations. The display was a skill of hers.
“Dao!” the blacksmith shouted next.
Zac knew what he needed to do. He held nothing back, even opening [Spiritual Void] to release its stockpile of Conflict and Death. It poured through his Inexorable Mold, and Zac sent the Dao Braid directly into the flames. They accepted the offering and gained distinct hues of gold and steel to reflect Zac’s path.
With Zac’s Dao as the furnace, Bultras turned into a fiery blur as she furiously hammered away. The crashing cascade was completely different from the measured approach before. Each slam would threaten the life of a Middle Hegemon, yet Zac felt comfort transmitted through Alea’s bond. Zac confirmed everything was in order, so he ate a Soldier Pill and crushed a handful of Mental Crystals to keep providing kindling for the fire.
Three days later, the gates closed, and Bultras took a stumbling step back. Her once ruddy face was pale as death from exhaustion, but her eyes were full of excitement as she looked at the crude breastplate floating before her. The materials had blended perfectly and stabilized, to the point Zac couldn’t tell dozens of different materials had gone into the making of the anthracite metal.
[Love’s Bond] form wasn’t finalized, and both chains and [Death’s Duality] were hidden inside the oppressive darkness that filled the breastplate. However, Zac could tell that Alea had successfully taken the next step toward becoming a true regalia. From a simple heart protector, the Spirit Tool would now protect his whole torso. Zac could also tell that the regions around his Cosmic Core had gained additional protection.
“We did it. I can’t believe we did it,” Bultras whispered before promptly toppling over. Seconds later, deep snores shook the spatial pocket.
The sound was infectious, and Zac constantly yawned as he replaced the drained Spatial Crystals. Then, he walked over to the floating breastplate, surprised to find it cool to the touch.
‘How is it?’ Zac tentatively sent through his link, not sure if Alea could hear him in her current state.
‘We did it!’ a tired but excited voice answered. ‘And we didn’t even have to face Heaven’s wrath.’
Zac smiled with relief. He’d shared the same fear that Alea would be targeted by unscheduled tribulations like himself. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Apparently, the Heavens didn’t consider her existence as great a transgression as a Void Cultivator.
‘I only need a few weeks to wrap things up. The stupid flame is surprisingly stubborn, though. It might take me a few years to bring it under my heel,’ Alea continued, her presence already fading.
‘It should get more docile after we leave the memory domain. At that point, it won’t be able to sense its backer,’ Zac said, not too bothered.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The Spiritual Flame was of no use to him, and Zac doubted he could effectively use it in combat. Its main use was helping Alea temper her spirit and assist during future breakthroughs. It wouldn’t matter, even if it took her decades to tame the flame.
There was still no sign of the old thief. After some deliberation, Zac decided to stay put. The spatial fold was safe enough, and he might as well wait here as somewhere else. He sent an update through his purification space before he let sleep claim him. A wet tap woke Zac up a few hours later. Zac grunted and rubbed his face before turning to his companion.
“Looks like things worked out?” Zac commented upon seeing Esmeralda’s signature haughty smile.
“How could some Natural Curse stop the great—” Esmeralda stopped her boasting before adopting a painfully fake modest expression. “A decent haul, I suppose. Nothing compared to your gains.”
Zac rolled his eyes at the toad’s shifty look before glancing at their latest companion. The snores had stopped during Zac’s rest, and Bultras was sitting with her eyes closed nearby. Waves of pure Mental Energy were swirling around her, gradually growing purer and stronger.
“A real epiphany,” Esmeralda commented, giving Zac a teasing look. “Unlike some people who need to drink tainted water to mimic the effect.”
“Hey, as long as it works,” Zac shrugged. “The ambient faith is weak but stable. I don’t think the domain will collapse on its own. Didn’t you snatch the core?”
“I did, but Natural Curses and Formations are resilient things. Enough energy and spirituality have accumulated for it to slowly grow a new one,” Esmeralda said. “The disappearances will stop for a while, though.”
“That should be enough. Bultras is aware of the cause, and she can bring the elders here after we’re gone,” Zac said. “We’ve done enough to change history. Staying any longer is a waste of time.”
“You’re right,” Esmeralda said, agreeing a bit too quickly.
Zac looked at the toad with suspicion, suddenly worried the Natural Curse was the only victim of Esmeralda’s sticky fingers. “You didn’t…”
“Just a few bits and pieces. Would’ve been a waste leaving them in the past, don’t you agree?” Esmeralda said, her smile widening. “That said, we should probably leave sooner rather than later.”
Zac lightly laughed as he called over [Love’s Bond] and strapped it to his back. Stuffing the Tool Embryo in a Spatial Treasure during its transformation wouldn’t ruin it, but it would slow Alea down. With the breastplate fastened to his back, he could nourish it with his Dao. Bultras was still in the middle of her epiphany and didn’t notice her source of inspiration being taken away.
Not wanting to ruin her opportunity just to say goodbye, Zac recorded the information about the Natural Curse’s lingering threat and left the Information Jade nearby. With that, they slipped out of the folded space and soon after Terren’s Loom. The streets were still quiet when they passed through the memory domain’s barrier.
Like thieves in the night, they’d come and gone without anyone the wiser. By the time the rulers of Terren’s Loom realized their coffers had been emptied, Zac and his mentor would be long gone.
On the other side of the Left Imperial Expanse, Zac took a deep breath and opened his eyes after digesting the surge of memories. He wasn’t as drained as his Draugr side, but he’d still spent the past hours resting.
“All good?” Ogras asked from within Zac’s shadows.
The demon wasn’t hiding from prying eyes this time. He’d slipped into Zac’s shadows out of convenience upon returning an hour ago. Zac was currently deep inside a corrupted forest to absorb Ultom’s insights, and the environment was much worse than the Centurion Base. Zac’s shadows were a sanctuary almost free of twisted Dao.
“I think so,” Zac said, roughly recounting the events in Terren’s Loom.
“Killing others to augment your Fate with the Outer Courts? That sounds like the Ruthless Heavens, alright,” the demon laughed. “It doesn’t much matter now, but there’ll be a feeding frenzy around the pillars. Most will become fertilizer.”
“Isn’t that always the case? People will still flock to the light, unwilling to give up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Zac sighed as he got to his feet. “How did things go on your end?”
The Left Imperial Expanse was a smorgasbord of opportunities, and the two hadn’t remained idle while Zac was busy providing distilled enlightenment to his other half. Two days ago, Zac received the message that Ventus might have discovered another trace of faded Fate. The spread of corruption made a conclusive deduction impossible, so they’d set out to investigate.
“The Numerologist was right. There really is a memory domain hiding in the depths,” Ogras said. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”
“What kind of scenario?” Zac asked with a mix of anticipation and fear.
The opportunities inside the memory domains were exceedingly good, but so were the dangers. That was doubly true for his human side since he appeared to have an affinity with the Hollow Court and its threads of Fate. Adding the inherent mystery of a memory domain surviving in the middle of a corrupted zone, there was no telling what waited.
“No idea, we only managed to confirm its location from a distance,” Ogras said.
“There’s dense corruption in the way?” Zac surmised.
“A very agitated version, at that,” Ogras nodded. “There’s also an enemy keeping it at bay. We think the domain is sitting upon a powerful Nexus Vein that’s combatting the taint. It’s like a warzone, and we weren’t confident getting through that mess in one piece. We were already struggling with the corruption by the time we’d come that far.”
“So the memory isn’t technically growing inside the corruption,” Zac said with realization.
They still hadn’t encountered any memory lanterns falling within the zones profaned by the Lost Era’s energy, let alone whole memory domains. Ventus posited that the corruption was spreading precisely because of this reason—the other regions were protected by lingering Imperial Faith. The newly discovered memory domain didn’t quite break this convention, but Zac believed there had to be something unusual about it to appear in a spot otherwise abandoned by faith.
“What do you think? I have a feeling you’ll like it,” Ogras said as he emerged from the shadows.
“Go. Why wouldn’t we go?” Zac laughed upon seeing the demon’s mysterious look.
Dipper Seventh’s near-death experience had done nothing to tamper Ogras’s thirst for riches and adventure. Ventus waited just outside the barriers of Zac’s hastily erected cultivation cave, and he wasn’t the least surprised upon hearing Zac’s decision. To be safe, they rested another day before setting out. Zac needed to recover some Mental Energy, while the others needed to expel the taint.
The zone wasn’t very large, and they maintained a great pace thanks to Zac acting as a corruption-gobbling vacuum to keep the trio safe. It took them less than a day to reach the outlook Ogras last visited.
“Is that… Life?” Zac exclaimed as he took out the scene below. “No wonder you said I’d like it.”
The Nexus Vein Ogras mentioned was actually a fierce Life-attuned Vein. The billowing waves of corruption tried to wear it down, but Life was doggedly holding on. Trees, shrubbery, and even spirits made from golden light were frantically swallowing corruption, rapidly ballooning in size before turning into ash that drifted away. From the ashes, the next generation sprouted thanks to the generous nourishment of Life.
Zac silently took in the cycle of struggle for almost ten minutes, engraving it to memory. It echoed some of his insights into the Dao of Life. More so, it made Zac all the more expectant about what waited within the distant memory domain. Its interiors weren’t just obscured by distance. The whole memory was filled with a dense golden haze that had to be Life-attuned.
There was no point sticking around. Ventus divined the safest route, and Zac took the lead. Ferocious waves of corruption tried to stop Zac from sating his curiosity. [Purity of the Void] was filling up far quicker than he could refine it. He grabbed his companions and cut straight through with [Skystriker], using the skill to temporarily push away some of the onslaught.
Soon enough, they reached the Life-attuned side, where the treatment was the opposite. Zac felt a palpable friendliness coming from the living forest. Whether it was because of his Life-attuned constitution or that he’d swallowed a huge chunk of taint was hard to say. In either case, the trio was treated like esteemed guests, facing no resistance as they flew to the memory domain.
They made a sweep for signs of other trial-takers. As expected, there were none. Zac couldn’t imagine anyone else bothering to explore the depths of these corrupted zones. They entered and were immediately greeted by an intense wave of Pure Life. If the Nexus Vein outside was worn down after a protracted struggle, they were currently facing it at its peak.
The ambient energy was extremely dense, even surpassing the depths of the Dipper Mines. It was also exceedingly pure. Zac could barely feel any Dao except the vibrant caress of Life. His cells shuddered with happiness and started to absorb the mist. Verun and Haro were no different. Even Ogras and Verun, who didn’t cultivate the Dao of Life, greatly enjoyed the atmosphere.
A sudden sound reminded the three of their location. Tinkling laughter had drifted through the isolating curtain of Life. Soon after, the heart-stirring tune of a stringed instrument slipped through. That short note actually helped soothe Zac’s tired soul, indicating it came from a highly skilled Musical Cultivator.
“Sounds like some celebrations back in the Sect,” Ventus whispered. “Could we have entered some powerful clan’s backyard?”
“Only one way to find out,” Ogras said with an eager gleam, clearly liking the prospect of a good party.
“Let’s go, but be careful,” Zac cautioned as they set out. “The Life in this mist… It’ll affect your state of mind if you’re not careful.”
“So?” Ogras asked.
“Too much of a good thing,” Zac muttered as he suppressed the spiraling exuberance of his companions.
The haze gradually weakened as they followed the sounds, and they soon started to encounter others. They all wore different clothes types of clothes, and they encountered a few different races. They didn’t appear to be from the same faction, but they all had a few things in common. Every single one was at least a Middle Hegemon, and they weren’t some helpless wandering cultivators barely scraping by.
They all emitted sturdy auras, and their appearance either screamed strength, wealth, or noble bearing. None seemed surprised or bothered by their appearance, but the three still retreated into the golden mist. A few minutes later, Zac and his companions reemerged, now adequately dressed and styled to blend in.
“Should we ask someone what’s going on?” Zac muttered.
It was at that moment the obscuring mists fully parted, exposing a grand entrance lined by more than a dozen attendants. It was only one of many such gates built into a wall stretching for miles, and patrons were constantly coming or going. Zac looked at the celestial attendants smiling in their direction, then the sign over the entrance, and finally, the blissful smile on the patrons as they left.
“Uh, never mind,” Zac said with an odd look.
“Joyful Gardens, eh?” Ogras read the gracefully written script, his grin so wide his face almost split in two. He turned to Zac, who was still busy reconciling the scene with the lofty ambitions of the Fifth Pillar. “And you thought this opportunity was meant for you? The Heavens do have eyes!”