[Extra Long/2 in 1 Chapter, hence the above-average price.]
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Dorian only needed a single second to use whatever plan Ausra figured out, after the genie finished running simulations using Will's soul.
Those simulations, however, involved a near incalculable number of variables and pulled on the essence of Will's dormant soul itself, meaning once they started, they could not stop, not without irreparably harming Will. While Ausra, as a Soul Spell Matrix genie, was incredibly powerful, smarter and faster than any modern supercomputer back on Earth, she was not a god.
It took time to run those calculations. Even Ausra herself was unsure exactly how long it would take due to all the unknowns, only that it should take a relatively small amount of time.
(Author's Note: My sincere apologies for the confusion. The process of recreating Will's body should take a single second. The simulations leading up to that to figure out exactly how to do that so it works perfectly would take longer, though still a small amount of time. Edited prev chapter to make this more clear. This note does not affect SS price, edited in after.)
Almost 30 seconds had passed since Ausra had started. A trivial amount of time, in a static situation.
But in this dire situation, it was time that passed agonizingly slow for Dorian.
Especially considering that his soul was threatening to tear at the seams due to the vast amount of energy within it, and required his full concentration. If he moved even an iota of his will off of forcing himself to stay together, his soul would collapse.
Thus, for the last 30 seconds, he had been frozen still, unable to take action.
'Arial?! What?' He could spare at least some thought for what was happening, if nothing else.
Arial had just jumped out and protected him.
"I-I…" Arial's breath was ragged as she looked at Veritas, her entire body trembling. The warm, welcoming Aura that Veritas gave off might seem friendly at first glance, but was one that was incredibly powerful, creating a massive amount of pressure.
Veritas was, after all, a true King Class being, well stronger than Arial's Early Lord Class strength.
"I am sorry, Dorian." As Arial faced down Veritas, she spoke aloud to Dorian.
The vision of the future Arial saw was one that lived in her mind. The Door of Splendor didn't only show her one future, in fact, but many. The futures of the ones she had betrayed or injured, the futures of the ones she had killed, or at least, the suffering her actions caused.
The pain, agony, heartbreak, and horror that she saw in those futures stayed with Arial, each emotion vividly felt.
"All I can say is I am sorry. The wrongs I have done in this world… there is no repentance for me." Arial's eyes teared up.
"Ah, young fox. You have come to me yourself. Come, let me show you the Truth as well. You shall join with me, to help me Evolve to become a true Angel of Light." Veritas had a pleased tone in her voice as she drifted forward, the blade of light she wielded raised in her hands.
Dorian's eyes widened slightly as he heard Arial truly repent. The fox that had brutally betrayed him, leaving him for dead. A being who had lied to him. Shown him nothing but evil before today.
"…"
"I forgive you." Somehow, impossibly, Dorian managed to split off enough of his will to whisper aloud something he felt in his heart. The evils she had inflicted upon him… they were not something he could forget. She had tried to kill him.
But after today, seeing her risk her life to protect him… he could forgive her.
WHOOSH
For the second time today, Dorian felt a mystical source of energy appear in his mind for a brief moment. Once more, the feeling vanished in an instant, overpowered by the presence of the two Laws he had been baptized by, Wrath and Valor.
However, thanks to his Jade Memory, this sensation was permanently remembered.
The first mystical sensation had resonated with the Law of Wrath. This one, however, seemed to resonate with the Law of Valor.
Dorian pushed aside the second sensation for now as he had the first. He could not afford to move any of his concentration away, not even to check out what each was. Not until Ausra finished and he had spent the millions of energy points that were threatening to tear his soul apart.
'Finalizing simulations. Final soul body recreation sequencing initializing. Approximate time to completion is rated at 26 seconds.'
Out of nowhere, Ausra spoke in Dorian's mind, informing him.
'26 seconds.' Dorian's eyes bled energy as he focused on this.
He needed to survive only 26 seconds and he was free to act.
"Come, daughter. See the Truth." Veritas launched forward, her body blurring towards Arial at an extremely fast speed. The powerful King Class Aura she emanated brooked no opposition, not from a weak Early Lord Class being.
thud
Before Arial had time to react, it was too late.
Arial's body shivered backwards a meter, her feet skidding on the ground. The tufted-ear fox girl looked down at her chest, where a blade of light was currently pierced through it. She felt no pain, for the sword was made of light, and existed on a metaphysical level. Its powers were Magic in nature.
"The moment this blade pierces you, your Fate is Sealed, young fox. Even I cannot remove that. This sword of light shall cut away whatever it is that defines you. For you…" Veritas began, tilting her hooded head to the side oddly,
"For you… Huh. That would be your heart. A bitter, frail, broken heart. Selfish. Weak. Yet, only recently, brave and courageous." Veritas' voice was warm, full of false care, as she shrugged,
"Well. The Sealing is a literal one, so you'll die without your heart rather close to instantly. If you have any last words, you may speak them now."
7 seconds had passed.
Arial looked up at the Anomaly and then twisted her head to look back at Dorian. Blood dripped down from her eyes, trailing like tears. Simply standing this close to Veritas when the Anomaly was fully unleashing her Aura was incredibly damaging to Arial's body.
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Dorian." Arial whispered, her voice quiet,
"I am undeserving." The fox-girl turned back to looking at Veritas.
"This blade of yours… anything it cuts now shall lose their heart, is that the truth?"
Veritas looked down at Arial, her eyes filled with pity.
"Yes, daughter, that is the Truth. It is the natural Ability of my kind. The Sealing Blade. Until I activate and redefine it on someone else, right now it shall Seal away the heart of any being it pierces." Veritas withdrew the sword from Arial's chest in one smooth, blurringly fast motion.
Arial fell down to her knees, lightheaded and dazed.
17 seconds had passed.
"Now, child, I have given you a send-off. Come, accept your death, and join with me in life."
SWISH
Moving so quickly Arial couldn't physically track it, Veritas stabbed her in the chest once more.
This time, Arial felt an odd, sickening sensation sweep over her. Her entire body shivered as she felt a jarring change.
Her heart disappeared.
thud
Arial fell to her knees as blood burst from her lips and dripped down her eyes, her body immediately starting to die. Without a heart to pump blood, her entire body started to fail, the world around her turning a shade of red as her vision became clouded.
"Veritas…" Arial muttered, raising two trembling hands.
"You are here to absorb me. But do you know the unique Ability that my race possesses?" Her words were raspy as she spoke, blood spurting from her lips.
Veritas ignored her as she reached out with an arm, resting it on Arial's shoulder. The Anomaly was preparing to absorb her bloodline immediately upon Arial's death.
"It's an Ability known as Touching Light. It allows a Lightsworn Fox to manipulate anything made of light." Arial rested her shaking hands on the blade that was pierced through her chest.
A blade that was made of pure, Magical light.
"Anything at all." Arial smiled, a bloody rictus full of dying satisfaction.
WHOOSH
SWISH
Veritas looked down at her right arm in shock.
The sword of light that she had stabbed through Arial with, had, somehow, impossibly, extended backwards, shooting out at an extremely fast speed. The blade had stabbed through Veritas' right arm, not giving the Anomaly time to react.
"No! How dare you!"
WHOOSH
The blade of light vanished as Veritas deactivated her Ability. Not in time, however, to prevent it from affecting her.
Bright red blood spurted out of Veritas' lips as she, too, had her heart Sealed away. Her entire body shook as pain wracked it, causing the fearsome King Class Anomaly to scream in pain.
Veritas, as a being, existed in a state between life and death. The loss of her heart was a fatal blow to her strength, but it was not enough to kill her.
"Arrrgh!" Veritas' kindly and warm demeanor vanished as her left arm shot forward, grabbing towards Arial's throat.
"You horrid creature!"
24 seconds had passed.
Veritas ripped Arial's throat out.
In the last instant before she died, Arial turned to look at Dorian.
In her eyes there was neither pain nor sadness, neither hate nor despair.
The only emotion left was happiness.
Even though it cost her her life, for the first time, Arial felt like she had done the right thing in her lonely life.
thud
Arial's body fell to the ground.
Dead.
"ABSORB!" Veritas snarled, resting her hand on the corpse of Arial.
WHOOSH
Arial's body fell to ash as Veritas absorbed everything it possessed, all the energy and her Bloodline. Her Spatial Ring fell to the floor with a quiet tink, rattling down in the dust. The Anomaly's body was wracked with light as it transformed slightly, the Bloodline starting to merge with Veritas' own.
Without an Ausra there to guide them, all other Anomalies had to slowly merge Bloodlines with their own, unable to Evolve like Dorian did.
Off to the side, Trajan groaned, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head as the lack of air drove his body unconscious. Helena was still stunned, her sitting in the treasure as her body tried to overcome the physical shock her soul felt.
26 seconds passed.
'Simulations complete.'
'The required energy to recreate the body of Will on a perfect wavelength to the current level of his Soul Spell Matrix, from the air, is 27,123,122 points.'
Dorian's heart dropped as Ausra finished running her calculations, giving him the result.
Her estimated energy requirement had been way off. The energy required to perfectly recreate and match a body to a powerful Wizard, essentially resurrecting the dead, was far more than Dorian had expected.
It wasn't entirely unexpected. Ausra had had almost no data to go from for this. To even guess near the relative ballpark was already a fantastic achievement.
'However, due to the baptism of the Law of Light and the Light Magic his soul experienced, it is possible to reduce this cost by using a very powerful substitute material that is strongly Aspected towards Light, and cleansing it to recreate his physical form.' Ausra's voice in Dorian's head echoed as the genie continued, her voice hinting to him.
Dorian looked up, his heart full of fire.
A powerful being that was strongly Aspected towards Light.
A description that perfectly matched the creature that was standing in front of Dorian, merging with the Bloodline of a Lightsworn Fox.
A being that stood between life and death, with an Ability that manipulated Light, that was working towards becoming an Angel of Light.
'Perfect Body, Activate.' Dorian abandoned his focus on containing his soul. Immediately, searing pain spread through his body as the massive storage of energy began to riot within him, trying to rip him to pieces.
At the same time, the world around him lost color as his physique was vastly enhanced.
'Thundering Winds – Flush Gale.' Dorian's body blurred forward as he activated a movement technique, blasting forward at an incredibly fast speed.
Veritas was already close to him. Dorian managed to cross the distance between the two of them in an instant.
The Anomaly was preoccupied with initiating the merging of her bloodline with Arial's, a process that would take hours if not days. As soon as Dorian landed next to her, however, she went on guard, her entire body spinning towards him.
Rippling, King Class energy flew off her, threatening to swarm down and blast Dorian away.
Unfortunately for Veritas, the injury to her body, having her heart sealed away, had greatly weakened her physique. Perhaps in time she could recover, but as of right now…
Her reaction speed was too slow to catch up to Dorian's movement.
Dorian's right arm cut down through the air, slamming into Veritas' chest.
'Energy go! Ausra, go!' Dorian mentally thrust forth the energy that was threatening to tear apart his soul, controlling the massive, flooding torrent.
Immediately, magic symbols and signs flashed in front of Dorian's eyes as Ausra helped guide the energy he was sending into tens of thousands of mystic patterns, formations, and shapes.
"Wh-wha-what?!" Veritas' entire body abruptly shined with light, freezing in mid-twirl as she stared at Dorian. Her body slumped down to the ground, falling with a thump.
WHOOSH
A split second later, the torrent of energy crashed into Veritas soul. Dorian felt a sense of resistance, of pushback. A feeling of Fate trying to change, to will the energy back.
'Absolutely not.' Dorian's eyes were iron, his will steel, as he thrust back, putting every iota of strength into controlling the torrent of energy. He focused on twisting Fate, forcing Veritas to back down.
And he succeeded.
BOOM
A small explosion rang out as bright white light shot off from Veritas body, accompanied by an angry, agonized scream.
"THE TRUTH SHALL FIND YO-" Veritas didn't get to finish what she was saying as her consciousness, her soul itself, was completely cast out. As her voice cut off, every single Seal that Veritas had left instantly was released.
Helena's hands restored themselves. Trajan gained back his lungs and eyes. Even Probus' corpse gained back his missing arm, his body returned to a normal, if still dead and frozen in a time stasis, state.
Back on Veritas' body, the torrent of energy continued flooding into the now vacant body, cleansing and modifying the very foundation the body rested upon. It gradually shifted from that of a Veritas to a more distinct human being, with normal legs. Instead of pale skin, warm, slightly glowing skin replaced it. The body wasn't that of a normal human, but was still very close. Particles of light swirled about as a devastatingly mighty Aura burst forth, an incredible wave of energy spreading in the air as the body formed.
At the same time, Will's dormant soul began to flicker.
In one smooth motion, Dorian felt the soul vanish from his presence, joining the flood of energy that was pouring into the body of the now dead Anomaly.
WHOOSH
The flood of energy abruptly stopped. The body of Veritas had luckily been extremely suited to housing Will's soul. Even with the need to reform and cleanse the entire body's cells, the amount of energy Dorian had spent had only been a fraction of the amount in his soul.
'It's too much still.' Dorian realized as he felt the huge store of energy, millions of points, still present within his soul.
He needed to get rid of a large chunk of it.
A memory flashed in his mind. A memory of Trajan begging him to save Probus.
Dorian turned around, looking over at the body that was lying next to him. A body of a dead Vampire.
'Ausra, can I restore this Vampire to life?' He asked slowly, staring at the Vampire, studying it.
Ausra was quiet for a moment.
'There appears to be some sort of Time or Stasis Magic Spell or Artifact in effect on the corpse, preserving it. Because of this, the soul and Soul Spell Matrix of the being is still present.' Ausra continued,
'With the energy you have remaining in your soul, it should be possible as long as you make physical contact. I would not need to run any complicated simulations.' Ausra finished.
Dorian didn't hesitate, moving in the moment as he walked over and laid his hand on Probus' chest.
Trajan, meanwhile, had just recovered fully. Air wheezed in and out of the Rain Wizard's chest as he gathered himself, looking about in a stupor. The restoration of his full, normal vision was like a wonder to him.
"Savio-" Trajan spun around as he fully came to, cutting himself off as he looked at Dorian.
WHOOSH
White light and energy flooded off of Dorian's body as he concentrated, a torrent of energy once more flooding forward. Hundreds of thousands of Growth Points, dipping into millions, all left his soul, easing the pressure on him down to a much more bearable level.
'Live.' He commanded Probus. Ausra helped him guide the energy, directing it to pull in Probus' soul, to fully restore him.
Probus body shook slightly. Light and energy fluttered under the dead Vampire's eyelids as Dorian focused, a powerful Aura flooding off of him.
"…"
A tense second passed.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Probus' chest rose, of his own volition.
Dorian had brought the dead back to life.
"Probus… Probus…" Trajan saw this, sensing a faint, weak life force appear, deep within the once dead Swordmaster.
Probus' eyes fluttered and then, quietly, opened up a crack.
"Trajan…?" Probus muttered, his voice weak and full of confusion.
"PROBUS!" Trajan rushed forward, tears spilling from his eyes as he leapt towards his brother in arms and best friend, grasping his arm.
Dorian watched this all, feeling the happiness and cheer the duo felt keenly.
"Arrgh." A female voice, calling out in pain, caught Dorian's attention. He reacted to this voice with haste as he rushed to the side, his body landing near a small pile of treasure.
"Helena, it's me, Dorian. Everything is going to be okay. I've got you. Also, Aron says hi, he's safe too." Dorian grabbed on ahold of the still stunned female Vampire, hugging her tightly. The shock of the injuries she'd suffered, and their abrupt reversal, had taken a heavy toll on her.
Helena looked up at Dorian, her spirit calming as her eyes stared into his.
"Dorian…" She whispered quietly. She looked around, first down at her hands, and then over at Trajan who was hugging and talking animatedly with a now living Probus.
"Dorian." Tears spilled from Helena's eyes as she buried her face in Dorian's chest, hugging him tightly.
Dorian hugged her comfortingly, rubbing her head as the Vampire broke down crying, the stress, pain, horror, and worry of the past few days and weeks sloughing off.
As he hugged her, however, his face froze.
For, a figure had risen up, standing a few meters away in front of him.
The former body of Veritas, transformed into that of some type of Light-Aspected Human.
The figure slowly turned its head, revealing a handsome, masculine face with a strong jawline and long, pitch black hair. A pair of golden eyes that seemed to glow faintly, accompanied by a small nose and confused smile.
The figure stared at Dorian, looking at his body in confusion for a moment before a light in his eyes lit up, as if he was looking beyond Dorian's physical Ifrit form.
"Dorian?" A familiar, unforgettable voice spoke aloud.
Dorian smiled, an incredible sensation of joy and accomplishment spreading through him.
He had succeeded.
"Will!"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
In another section of the Ascension Ruins, a very different scene was taking place.
"How dare you desecrate her body! You VILE beast!" Mira's voice was full of irrational rage as she threw enormous gouts of jade fire at an agilely dodging Ancestral Vampire.
What appeared to be a Royal Crypt of some sort lay in shambles, wooden furniture and stone furniture broken or melted to bits, apparently not protected like the rest of the Ascension Ruins. The Crypt wasn't too large, only a few dozen meters long and wide, with a high ceiling.
"My apologies, fair dragon. But, as they say. The needy need what they need." Mello shrugged as he fled the Crypt, holding a wrapped up Humanoid female form on his back.
Mira sprinted out of the Crypt after him, a calm and peaceful Aura paradoxically spreading out as she screamed in rage, chasing after him.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Deep in a dark corner of the Ascension Ruins, Leader looked quietly at a glowing, red bow, one that gave off a faint red light. Sitting next to this bow was the corpse of a red-scaled humanoid creature.
A Demon.
A Demon that Leader recognized, from his intensive studies of his forefathers, the ones who first mastered the Laws he and his brethren studied.
One of the Four Generals of the Demon Emperor.
The Archer-General Houye.
Leader stretched out a wavering hand, his breath bated as he looked at the bow.
"So this is what I would desire most in these Ruins…"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"I asked to be put somewhere where that shapeshifter wasn't, or with Mira! Not out here!" Aiden cursed as he jogged back towards the castle of the Ascension Ruins, irritation filling his tone.
When he'd touched the Door of Splendor after completing the First Trial, he had been transported to the farthest corner away from the castle that housed the bulk of the Ascension Ruins.
"Damn it." Aiden swore again as he jogged back, contemplating switching into his Draconic Form.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Henry, the Scythe Master serving under the Blazing King, swore as he rushed towards the Main Treasure Depository. After exploring the Ruins so many times, Henry was well aware of many of the secret locations, and the best places to explore for more complex Trials.
Clues about various Laws could be found in plenty of areas and dozens of unexplored challenges of Trials that led to specific Laws existed.
"Damn it. Who is creating such a ruckus?" He swore angrily as his body flashed through one stone corridor after another, his powerful Late King Class Aura surrounding him. His team had received a message that someone was trying to destroy the Ruins themselves, something he absolutely could not allow.
The Blazing King would have his head if he let that happen, especially considering the man was just outside, watching the Ruins intently.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
At the very top of the Ascension Ruins castle, a large, sealed off room could be found. This room was full of hundreds of mystical diagrams and symbols, glowing and seemingly made out of yellow energy.
In the midst of this sealed off room, a black skinned man could be seen, fiddling with several of these floating matrixes.
"Just a touch here, a tad there…" A subtle, King Class Aura rolled off the man as he spoke.
"And that should do it. All the important parts are preserved." The Nameless Monk smiled.
"I have finally done as you asked for in your last will, Thunder Saint Kaladin." The Monk whispered quietly.
"Yukeli's Ascension Ruins are now set to self-destruct in just a few minutes."
(Image of the Nameless Monk – https://i.imgur.com/khE0noP.jpg )(Doesn't Open In App)
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