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This is your soul core. Yakana said, pausing his chanting. You’ve started it—now fix it. The water will do the rest. Now repeat. Kató sto bathý, t’ ákra ton aimátinon kymátizon…

I began chanting until my head started to feel ready to crack, but I stopped long enough to activate my mental shielding and then continued, slowing my mind once more and chanting.

Suddenly, the hole in my soul core mended, flooded with a cool sensation.

Now breathe.

How? I can’t… I waved my arms and realized that I could move again! I immediately kicked off the ground and hit above the water, taking a deep breath.

That’s when Moxle Dilation broke, sending the sounds of the screaming souls crashing into my mind. I felt disoriented, choking on water as I coughed, spiraling out of control. Kline howled in the distance, trying to get closer, only to yowl and thrust onto the bank.

"Stay back!" I yelled, making my head crack open. "I’m fine! Just… wait!"

Praying that the water would heal me, I pushed myself between two rocks to stop me crashing through the river, drank some, and went underwater to stop the sounds. It did—in fact—heal my headache. Between the healing effects and the silence of the water, I gained relief. After I used my mental shielding spell, I could focus entirely.

Again, Yakana called out to me.

I nodded. This was my last day of the trial. Kline was outside, and he could get attacked at any moment. I could die at any moment. The world was in flux. I had found a new source of power that could perhaps change everything. So I followed along with the chanting, starting a new stanza—leading the way.

Diamántia ouraníou toxévontai, graphóntas tin próklisi tis sympan—Apokálypsis.

2.

Elana had goosebumps as she watched Kline’s screen. The murky fog of souls he was staring at started churning, bubbling, and popping like a cauldron, whipping around in strange and complex patterns. She recognized it along with every other god and demigod in the area.

"You gotta be kidding me," Kori said dryly.

"Yeah, I’m incredulous as well," Elana said.

"No." Kori took a swig of his spirits and pointed at a third screen. "That."

Elana turned and saw the river guardian moving toward the river. It was a massive creature, fifteen feet wide, with a pointed snout, walking on dozens of legs that could easily scale thirty-foot rock faces like minor inconveniences. Each of the hands looked human. It was truly a disgusting, chimeric creature.

Elana felt revolted just looking at it. Indignant, too. The timing was unacceptable. The lignans were killing each other, Kline was tempering his evolution, and Mira was developing a soul core. Everything was converging all at once, each element bearing a personal brand of tragic timing. If Mira or Kline died, it would be a disgusting twist of fate.

3.

I could barely feel my body or care about breathing while I was underwater, as the chanting became too hypnotic. Yakana had to remind me to breathe, so at one point, I started Moxle Dilation again, making the most of the healing effects of the Diktyo River to allow me the ability to chant.

As I did, I felt an uncomfortable experience. It was as if my mind and body kept disconnecting, never together, but gravitating around each other like the Earth and the moon. In the gap between us, I felt souls entering around a core within me.

Don’t get the wrong idea.

I wasn’t absorbing souls, and I didn’t feel like I would walk out with the souls of lions and tigers and bears within me. It didn’t work like that. Instead, there was a part of the soul that my body was absorbing.

Imagine a paint brush dipped in paint. Now brush it around a ball. The brush doesn’t leave, but the excess, part of it which wasn’t part of the paintbrush even though it held it, comes off. The paintbrush is unaffected by the change, even though the paint had partially disappeared.

That’s what was happening.

Trace amounts of these souls were being torn off and being absorbed into my core. It was strange and hypnotic, but Yakana was there, helping me like last time. I felt comfortable and never wanted to leave when he reminded me to breathe. It was peaceful despite being so disorienting and disjointed, like a deep tissue massage that hurts but feels pleasant at the same time.

You were meant for this, Yakana said.

Why?

Who knows. Perhaps it’s random—perhaps it’s not. Perhaps the Oracle knew and decided to place you here on purpose. Perhaps it didn’t know at all. Such questions are inconsequential. What matters is that you are here, and you are well suited to this affinity. Now breathe.

I swam to the surface, braving the bombardment of sounds and my cracking head to take ten seconds of breaths before returning underwater, healing, and continuing to chant.

Now hurry, for she approaches.

Who…?

The Guardian.

Kline…

Should the guardian appear while you are away, Kline will be able to escape. Such is the nature of his movement technique. Now continue.

I did, closing my internal eyes over and over until they were pitch black. Then I continued.

Elana watched the vortex of souls sucking in and out of the river in a daze. It was hard to tell whether Mira was an extravagant soul cultivation genius, as the only individuals she watched build soul cores were fifth-evolution neophytes and demigods. That was natural because normal mortals on Dranami didn’t have access to soul repositories strong enough to develop a core until they reached the Fourth Domain. For Elana specifically, the situation was unprecedented, so it was hard to gauge.

Regardless—

Mira was a freshly integrated neophyte developing a soul core in her first week. At a minimum, Mira had the will of a dragon and a soul forged from stone.

Kori was watching Kline with equal anticipation, drinking far more than before, trying to ignore the river guardian traveling over ten miles between trees to reach them. There was only a mile left before Kline had to face her.

Stress couldn’t begin to describe the situation.

Kori turned to the River Guardian. "Can’t this thing…" He leaned his head to his shoulder, exhaling deeply. "Can’t it just… fuck off for a bit? The kid’ve done that forest a damn good service if you ask me, and this ignorant fucker’s gonna… fuck it all up. Idiot…"

Elana turned to him. "Are you drunk? Are you actually drunk?" Gods couldn’t get drunk. Their bodies detoxed too quickly, healing them long before they could feel the effects.

Kori turned to her with bleary eyes. "You think this’s alcohol?" He shook the amber bottle and laughed.

Elana’s eyes widened. "What is it?" Gods used arrays and enhancements that prevented the Guide from identifying their secrets, so she couldn’t know.

"Aren’t you the… elixir master?"

"Give it to me." Elana snatched it and unscrewed the top. She took one whiff, and her eyes widened. "This’s poison!"

"Yeah." Kori snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "But it feels like alcohol."

"Ridiculous…" Elana glanced at Mira and Kline and the lignans and the River Guardian before sniffing the bottle again. Then she took a deep breath and took a swig.

It was necessary. The River Guardian wasn’t running, but he was moving fast, and he was only minutes away from confronting Kline. The cat’s ears had picked up.

"Well, here we go," Kori said, grabbing the bottle. "Whatever happens, happen—oh!"

Elana turned and saw a brick-sized lignan bug smash into the River Guardian. The next moment, dozens of screens showed up, showing that lignan bugs getting near Kline suddenly shifted course, beelining toward the River Guardian.

"Hell yeah!" Kori said, plopping back against the backrest. "That’s what I’m talkin’ about!"

"No!" Elana cried. "This isn’t good!"

"This isn’t good…? Are you even listening to yourself? This is grea—"

"She can’t complete the quest if the River Guardian’s dead, and who knows what freakish thing’ll do if it dies." Brindle, Brindle, Brindle. It’s the only name she had heard since this nightmare started. If he was as dangerous as people said, things would get nasty.

"Yeah… that’s kind of. OH!" Kori freaked when the River Guardian—studded with fifty massive lignans—suddenly flexed and made all the bugs sucking it explode. Then it opened its mouth, sucking in air that pulled in another fifty before using its arms to slap around the rest.

"There’s no way…" Elana said. "There’s no way that thing’s a third ev."

Kori swiped the bottle of poison back from Elana. "Is now," he said. "No way she isn’t weak after that. Wonder if that cat’s gonna challenge ’er." He took a drink.

Breathe and allow yourself to drift, Yakana instructed as I built my soul core. You must reach Arithiel before she comes.

I followed Yakana’s instructions, breathing above water, activating mental shielding, and returning to the depths of the river. I had done it repeatedly, and it was getting easier, doubling as training in a location where miracle water was healing my mind. It was soothing.

This time, I had to move, so I fended off the growls and snarls of souls—no longer howling or roaring—to look for Kline. His tiny silhouette was in the fog.

"Kline," I said.

His ears twitched, and he turned toward me, yowling slowly and mashing his teeth.

"I’m moving toward the pond," I said. "I needa go there to fix my soul. Wait for me here."

Kline stood and followed beside me.

"No, wait! It’s taking me to the lignan nests… I’m underwater—you’re not!"

Kline yowled, stretching his limbs and pacing back and forth.

"I’ll be fine. The River Guardian’s coming. Greet her. If she gets saucy, I want you to warp away. Warp. Away. Then meet me down river as fast as possible."

He grimaced and turned away, meowing hesitantly.

"Good cat…" My eyes welled with tears. "I love you, Kline! So, so much. I’ll see you soon!"

Kline meowed weakly, turning back to a strange direction and turning back around. Then he lay, clamming up.

"Love you, too," I whispered, smiling as I watched his eyes follow me. Then I kicked off the rock and flowed down stream, moving through the fog, hearing the creatures shifting as I passed through, passing by the slow-moving ghostly stream.

Soon, the sandy shore turned white and the area above me felt bright and milky. The area chilled and the mana in the water became more intense—uncomfortable even—dragging me forward, making it difficult for me to breath. A few minutes later, I lost my ability to see silhouettes and the roll and thunder of animal roars resounded in my mind.

The water heated up, my mana channels lit up as they pulsed with energy, moving through my chest and lungs and head until I was buzzing with the crackle of electricity. That’s when I heard the Guide’s chime and saw the screen.

—---

Congratulations! You have found a sacred location.

Name: Arithiel Pond

Summary: I refuse to praise the suicidal actions you took to get to a location like this, but congratulations—you’ve found yet another sacred location. Beyond being part of the already sacred Diktyo River, this area is built over the Tamyo mana vein, two reasons the local wildlife in the region will kill you. The second they find out the lignans are gone, third evolution beasts are going to swarm that pond in a biblical bloodbath. So ignore the Key Facts and get the hell out of there before the lignans or wildlife come to collect.

—---

Reading the description made me feel like a demon had grabbed my heart in a double grip and twisted it like a cracked pepper shaker. I didn’t know what to do, so I dunked my head under the water.

This place’s dangerous! I silently screamed.

Worry not, child. Yakana responded calmly. The guardian shall come and purge all threats. Now chant so that you may greet her head on. Breathe and repeat after me.

I hesitantly complied, gasping for air and then returning downward.

Now repeat, Yakana said. Nikhterinoús orízontas ekteinóntai.

I thought it would be impossible to concentrate, but once he began chanting, I was pulled into it.

4.

Brindle watched the River Guardian trample the last of the lignan bugs with great trepidation. It had suffered dozens of attacks and was still walking normally—but it had lost immense power and had a damaged soul. Such was the cost of warning the animals of the invasion. Now, it was weak to third evolution beasts—and would likely die within the year.

This’s the real test, Brindle thought as he watched Mira. Then he glanced at Kline, who was meeting the River Guardian from high ground. The guardian was at least a hundred times larger than the tiny cat, but Kline stood his ground on a massive boulder, staring down at the creature.

"Can I request mental transcription?" Brindle asked his Oracle. "This one’s body and soul with my potential pupil. It would be wise to know his character."

The Oracle surprisingly granted permission, allowing him and Telgan to listen in as the two met.

It’s bold to stand before me, the River Guardian to Kline, sound reverberating in Brindle’s thoughts. It was crisp and clear—but Kline did not speak back.

Have you forsaken language? the River Guardian asked.

Kline didn’t flinch.

For what reason? That woman?

The phantom cat’s hair bristled.

Disgusting.

Kline growled, body elevating as his ethereal body built a cage of raw mana over him.

Would you really raise your claws to me? she sneered, taking a step forward.

Kline didn’t back down.