Chapter 5: Archives

  Aeor was the first to wake. The night's rest had been far from ideal, the hardness of the obsidian cave floor and the unsettling presence of the corpse deeper inside making true rest elusive.

  Glancing to the side, he saw Zoey still curled tightly in her sleep, a peaceful look softening her face. Carefully picking up his spear, Aeor inspected its blade in the faint morning light. The spear still bore several chips and rough edges along its length. Still unsure of how this happened, Aeor let out a sigh.

  I'll need to find some tools to fix this soon.

  Stretching stiff muscles, Aeor made his way to the cave entrance. He arrived just as dawn's first rays spilled across the horizon, painting intricate patterns of gold and crimson as sunlight danced upon the smooth obsidian terrain and tranquil waters. Despite everything, Aeor found himself briefly captivated by the surreal beauty surrounding him, imagining for a fleeting moment what it might be like under different circumstances.

  Movement from within the cave drew his attention, breaking his reverie. Moments later, Zoey emerged, stretching her arms above her head with a quiet yawn.

  "How'd you sleep?" Aeor asked gently.

  "Better than I expected, actually," Zoey replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "No soreness or anything. What about you?"

  Aeor flexed his ankle experimentally, grimacing slightly at the persistent ache. "The pain caught up to me overnight. Especially my ankle and arm. I should probably find some healing soon."

  Zoey’s eyes softened with concern. "Do you want to take it slow today? We could wait until the afternoon. There's no need to rush—"

  A sudden shockwave rippled through the air from somewhere downstream, interrupting Zoey’s sentence and rattling the obsidian beneath their feet.

  Exchanging a quick glance, they turned instinctively toward the source. Aeor tightened his grip on his spear, while Zoey, startled into action, quickly retrieving her skillet.

  "Let's go," Aeor said urgently, already breaking into a run.

  They raced along the streambed, passing fleeing Coalspine Brutes that scattered in their direction, panicked and confused. Aeor's heart quickened as a second, stronger shockwave hit, accompanied by an intense gust of searing heat. This time, Aeor felt something else beneath it, a pulse of death essence, vibrant and disturbingly active.

  "There's death essence ahead," Aeor said breathlessly, his voice tight with tension as he sped up.

  "And a lot of fire essence," Zoey added, eyes wide. "Something big is happening behind that rise."

  One Coalspine Brute, separated from its pack, charged toward them with desperate aggression. Aeor didn’t hesitate; he shifted his trajectory, channeling death essence around his spear and driving straight toward the charging brute.

  The brute lunged. Aeor ducked swiftly beneath its bulk, thrusting his spear upward into its exposed underbelly. Death essence erupted upon impact, fracturing its obsidian skin. Aeor pushed forward with fierce momentum, driving the brute into the ground.

  His heart pounded violently, each beat amplifying a sudden, overwhelming urge for violence. His mind clouded, Aeor released his spear and summoned raw death essence directly into his fists. Without restraint, he unleashed a flurry of devastating punches upon the fallen brute, each strike shattering obsidian plates and sending sharp fragments scattering into the air, many embedding painfully into Aeor’s own skin.

  Nearby Coalspine Brutes paused, their fear palpable as they witnessed Aeor’s relentless fury. Hastily, they retreated further away, abandoning their companion.

  "AEOR!"

  Zoey’s shout pierced his frenzy. Aeor froze, his fist suspended mid-air. Slowly, he turned to face Zoey, whose expression had shifted from concern to something more wary, more uncertain.

  Zoey stared into his eyes. The familiar calm gray was replaced by a vivid, unsettling dark violet.

  "Aeor?" Zoey ventured cautiously, slowing her approach.

  Awareness slowly returned, along with a cold clarity. Aeor lowered his fist, trembling slightly as he stared down at his bloodied hands, shards of obsidian embedded in torn flesh.

  "I…I'm sorry," he murmured softly, shame creeping into his voice.

  "Are you okay?" Zoey stepped closer, cautiously examining his hands. "What just happened there?"

  Aeor exhaled shakily. "I lost control."

  The dark violet slowly faded from his eyes, though faint traces lingered beneath the returning gray.

  What was that feeling? Aeor thought, his mind reeling. Was it the influence of death essence, or was it something else entirely, a trait he had yet to understand?

  Distant sounds of conflict disrupted his introspection, echoing clearly from beyond the rise.

  "We need to see what's going on," Aeor said decisively, reclaiming his spear and turning swiftly toward the crest ahead.

  "Aeor, wait!" Zoey called after him, her voice strained with worry. "Slow down, you're going to injure yourself further!"

  But Aeor was already moving ahead, urgency driving his steps as he crested the rise, Zoey close behind, anxiety and determination mingling in her gaze.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Standing atop the rise, Aeor gazed down into the crater where a colossal obsidian entity stood, dominating the volcanic debris with its massive frame. Its jagged body was an imposing tapestry of obsidian plates, magma crawling sluggishly beneath them, pulsating like veins of molten gold.

  It feels more like an ancient construct than a living creature, Aeor thought.

  A hollow cavity in its chest revealed a seething core of pure fire, swirling and roaring like a miniature sun imprisoned within a jagged furnace. Charred bone spines protruded from its back, and broken chains of cooled metal hung limply from its limbs, scraping painfully against the rocky ground with each motion.

  Its head bore no true face; instead, it was a scorched basalt mask, bisected by a glowing fissure of eternal flame, no eyes, merely a crack that watched unceasingly.

  Aeor activated Threadgaze, narrowing his eyes at the being:

  Race: Scorch Titan

  Essence Tier: Awakened

  Essence Stability: Refined

  Classification: Volcanic Construct

  Status: Normal

  Refined Essence Stability, Aeor noted internally, far beyond my Flickering control. How significant is the difference, though?

  His attention shifted to the figure battling this monstrous construct, momentarily stunned by what he saw.

  Engaged fiercely against the Scorch Titan stood an undead figure, yet one exuding such precise elegance that death seemed a mere fashion choice rather than a grim fate.

  This skeletal figure held herself with regal poise amidst the chaos, her ivory bones draped lavishly with golden chains and ornate jewelry. A cloak of deep imperial purple cascaded from her shoulders, embroidered intricately with gold thread. Her stark white hair was braided exquisitely, adorned with purple roses and golden clasps, capturing a sense of morbid beauty and refinement.

  Yet her most captivating feature was the pair of delicate, round glasses tinted violet, resting lightly on her exposed nasal bone, their reflective lenses capturing the embers of battle with detached serenity.

  Aeor once again invoked Threadgaze, this time on the undead:

  Velora Elargrave

  Race: Eidryn

  Essence Tier: Awakened

  Essence Stability: Stabilized

  Status: Normal

  Stabilized Essence Stability, Aeor considered, which must surpass my Flickering control. She's clearly more advanced. However, judging purely on names, I would say the titan's Refined could be higher than Stabilized.

  Mist spiraled chaotically around Velora, her magic barely holding under the relentless assault. The ground trembled behind her, presenting an impassable barrier of fractured stone and molten slag, eliminating any chance of escape.

  Despite this, her demeanor remained composed. She exhaled purely through magical intention, raising one skeletal hand to trace a desperate sigil through the air, her voice calm yet faltering.

  “I said… not yet,” Velora shouted defiantly.

  Aeor glanced at Zoey, standing right beside him.

  Aeor nodded to her. The intent behind that nod flew right past that Zoey as without hesitation, Aeor charged into the fray.

  "Oh, my god!" Zoey exclaimed in disbelief, sprinting after Aeor. "This kid will be the death of me! Slow down, will you?!"

  The hollow in the titan's chest glowed brighter as the fire coalesced within.

  With a grinding, tectonic groan, the molten energy arched outward in a massive cone of lava.

  The undead vanished into her conjured mist. Aeor sidestepped the oncoming blast, skirting to the edge of its radius and doubling down on his charge toward the Scorch Titan.

  Zoey froze for a moment, staring at the cascading arc of lava bearing down on her. At the last second, she hurled herself aside, tumbling across the ash-covered ground. As she caught her footing, she thrust her free arm forward. Beads of water danced into existence in her palm, gathering into a fist-sized sphere.

  She launched it at the titan.

  The larger size came at the cost of speed, and the orb arced slowly toward its target. As it struck the titan's surface, it exploded into a burst of mist with a sharp hiss.

  For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes, then the mist cleared, revealing unmarred obsidian. The Scorch Titan hadn't even noticed.

  "Crap, I thought that would work," Zoey muttered, her voice strained with exhaustion. That slight attack drained more essence than she had hoped.

  On the other side of the battlefield, Aeor wrapped death essence around his spear like a shroud. The heat intensified as he closed the distance, oppressive and suffocating, until it threatened to scorch the air from his lungs.

  He drove his spear into one of the titan's obsidian plates, aiming for a weak point.

  No cracks. No shudder. Nothing.

  The spear clattered against the titan’s armor with a dull clang. In response, the creature radiated an even greater wave of heat, forcing Aeor back with a blistering air that singed the edges of his sleeves.

  He retreated to a safe distance, frustration mounting.

  How do you kill something like this?

  “This is the first time I’ve seen a human manipulate death essence.”

  Aeor’s head snapped to the side. Zoey was still catching her breath and hadn't spoken. The voice had come from elsewhere.

  “I’m beside you.”

  Mist swirled beside him, coalescing into the graceful skeletal figure he had seen earlier, Velora Elargrave.

  “The big lump of obsidian only cycles between a few attacks,” she said casually. “Area-of-effect mostly, short range. Predictable.”

  “Aeor,” he introduced himself quickly.

  “Velora.”

  The Scorch Titan’s surface began to glow with a reddish hue as its internal heat built. Visible steam rose from its form, and the distant hiss of cooling magma filled the silence.

  Zoey caught up to them a moment later, still holding her skillet at the ready.

  “Um… hi. I’m Zoey,” she said, offering a breathless smile to Velora.

  “Velora. A pleasure,” the undead replied, nodding with subtle courtesy.

  Aeor glanced between them, then back at the looming titan. “Let’s pull back. I don’t like how close we are to that thing.”

  The trio retreated to the top of the rise, just beyond the titan’s reach. From their vantage point, they kept watch as the Scorch Titan continued its slow, heat-shedding cycle below, each movement methodical, measured, and terrifying in its patience.

  Zoey was the first to speak. "Did you get teleported here? By the way, love your shades."

  "Yes, and thank you," Velora replied, turning toward Zoey. "I assume you're one of the Otherworld Initiates?"

  "I... don't really know what that means," Zoey admitted, confusion flashing across her features.

  Velora blinked. Well, mimicked it. Her skeletal visage shifted slightly, somehow expressing surprise. She turned to Aeor, who looked equally lost.

  "Both me and Medieval Boy here know next to nothing about what's going on," Zoey added with a dry smile.

  "Did your worlds not know about the Essence Archives?" Velora asked.

  Aeor and Zoey exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

  Velora paused, considering her words carefully. "The Archives are like an eternal consciousness that spans everything. As the universe expands and new stars and planets form, they're eventually pulled into the fold. That event is called Initiation."

  So this is Initiation. How did father even know about that? Aeor through to himself.

  She continued, voice calm but deliberate. "When a world is initiated, about eighty percent of its population stays behind. The remaining people are scattered to other worlds to undergo a trial. Beings from that scattered populus are called Otherworld Initiates."

  Both Aeor and Zoey fell into stunned silence.

  "Is there a way to go back?" Aeor finally asked.

  "If you survive your trial, yes, assuming your world is still intact."

  "What?" Aeor’s voice rose, laced with alarm.

  "Every planet has its own initiation scenario," Velora explained. "Some get faction wars, Initiates versus Archive-born entities. Others must find some hidden relic to stabilize a collapsing world. And sometimes it's planet versus planet. Only one survives."

  She shrugged. "Of course, that’s simplifying it. Each scenario’s more complex than it sounds. But you get the idea."

  "And what's the objective here? What's our scenario?" Aeor asked.

  "I don’t know," Velora admitted. "I've been waiting for something from the Archives, a message, a thread, but there's been nothing."

  "What are threads?" Aeor asked.

  "The Archives issue tasks for beings. Those tasks are referred to as threads."

  "Maybe it hasn't started yet," Zoey offered. "Me and Aeor didn’t arrive at the same time. He arrived a day earlier. Maybe it waits until more initiates show up."

  "That’s possible," Velora said. "But we won’t know for sure until a thread is issued."

  Aeor studied her for a moment. "How do you know all of this?"

  "My planet was aware of the Archives, thanks to the Eternal Servants," she replied. "They were like spiritual leaders, prophets, really. Their teachings covered the Archives in depth. Most of what I know comes from them. But even their knowledge had limits."

  "In my world, there were some old legends about an eternal force, an eternal consciousness," Aeor said. "But most people thought they were myths. I wasn’t exactly a scholar."

  Zoey looked pensive. "The so-called 'seers' in my world weren’t taken seriously. Most people thought they were scammers or fanatics. I was one of them. And I don’t think they ever mentioned anything like the Archives."

  She hesitated. "We had fantasy novels about universal consciousnesses and multiverse. But maybe I’m just overthinking things."

  Velora was about to speak when Aeor suddenly tensed.

  "People," he said, pointing across the crater.

  Ash rolled like a living fog across the basin, obscuring the horizon. From that ash, four figures crested the opposite rim, silhouettes cutting through the haze.

  The first was a giant of a man, his body veined with stone. Beside him, an orc moved with a flintlock in hand.

  Trailing them were 2 feminine figures. One was slender, her cloak fluttering in the wind, and the last figure was clad in steel laced with frost. A massive shield was strapped to her back.

  The stone-skinned man spotted them and raised a hand in greeting.

  Aeor, Zoey, and Velora waved back. Both groups began circling the crater, drawing closer with every step.