Beneath the ominous red skies of Potentia, atop an otherwise unremarkable mountain, two warriors faced off. One wore white armor that had once been pristine, though now it was nearly scrap, and stained with his own blood. A moment before, the other warrior had likewise been wearing white, though now black energy covered him from head to toe, as if he were burning with black fire.
The light warrior was holding out a golden sword, teaming with glorious power. The dark warrior’s sword likewise burned, but with an ominous green flame, a small fragment of the power of Potentia. As the man in black took his stance, the dark energy flowing over him reached out to encompass the blade as well, the twin powers hungry for destruction and death.
Ethan had unlocked [Avatar of Ruin] a few days earlier, prompted by his acquisition of his fourth Mystic power. It was simple in some ways; as he used his Ruin Affinity, the power grew inside him until it was ready to be unleashed. When at last he chose to bring it forth, he felt a flood of temporary strength running through his veins.
Savilar shook his head in disappointment. “Impressive, but not enough. You don’t realize how out-classed you are.” He swung the Sword of Souls, almost casually at Ethan, the golden glow increasing as it cut through the air.
Knife in the Dark.
Sanguin Flame, his newly acquired katana arced out, black Ruinous energy swirling around the blade. The two swords met in a muted crash, gold and black power exploding outward. Savilar looked at the crossed swords with shock and confusion, but Ethan just pushed him away, preparing for his counter.
Avatar of Ruin did one other thing, and it was the reason he didn’t fear facing the white knight: it allowed him to use his other Assassin abilities without the need for stealth. When he swung, raw, deadly power erupted from his blade.
Ethan’s sword struck like lightning, again and again, pushing Savilar back in a barely controlled stumble. He unleashed [Knife in the Dark] with every swing, the sword almost alive in his hands with the power of Ruin. More than that, the liquid draconic fire was also escaping with every clash, and each time it connected with Savilar, the man let out a furious groan of pain. Its touch was like acid, searing through his damaged armor.
Ethan had never felt so powerful. He’d been careful to get as many stealth kills in the City as he could, and finishing the dragon with a Ruin ability had given an even greater rush of energy. He could only keep his Avatar form for another minute at most, but that felt like an eternity as he forced his Dusk rank opponent back more and more.
Savilar was already terribly injured from his encounter with the stone demon, and could barely move his beaten body, let alone fast enough to block the endless strikes. Still, he was a veteran warrior, and Ethan was still only at Dawn rank for all his impressive abilities. The white knight was holding his own, and even beginning to take some control over the pace of the battle.
Meanwhile in the Astral, Tomo faced off against the mysterious angelic Familiar that had once tried to reach out with its golden tendrils. The First Dusk Tomo was obviously at a power disadvantage in the fight, but Ethan understood that wouldn’t matter. He’d felt his companion’s conflicted feelings at being back on Potentia, the pull of the Throne and the draw of the light, and the little demonic swordsman was channeling it all into this fight.
Neither side would gain advantage through the Astral today.
That left the sword fight in the physical world, where Ethan could feel the seconds ticking away on his ability. Savilar’s focus was clearly on something else, however, as his golden blade was still getting brighter. Ethan knew what that meant, and that his time was closer to being up than his ability would suggest.
So close, almost there, he thought. He could feel Savilar’s lifeforce in this form, and it was fading. Right now Ethan was faster, and managing to add more and more small wounds to the Church knight, even beyond what the continuous splatter of draconic fire.
It was nearly time.
The truth was that he hadn’t needed to engage in a head to head battle. He could have used stealth, employed hit and ruck tactics to grind the man down, and Ethan had considered it. If his trap had been even slightly less successful, he would have. But this traitor who’d pretended to be a friend had become the embodiment of everything Ethan hated about the Church. He was a living testament to their compromises, and their willingness to harvest people like cattle for dubious ends.
Ethan had sworn to tear down that organization, and he would start with their champion. When Savilar took a sudden step back, brandishing the Sword of Souls before him, Ethan knew the moment had come.
There was a look of profound triumph on the executioner’s face as he held the glowing blade before him, and time seemed to slow. But Ethan had been waiting for this. [Knife in the Dark] was powerful, and plentiful–he could use it over and over if he had the mana. It was certainly a large part of what made [Avatar of Ruin] so deadly, but it wasn’t Ethan’s only move.
As the golden blade shone, Sanguine Flame grew equally dark as the raw power of Ruin gathered around it, so thick it completely covered the green fires. At last Ethan struck out with a powerful overhead slice, meeting Savilar’s desperate horizontal block.
Inch by inch his opponent’s sword was forced down, and the look of triumph on the Rift Hunter’s face fell into one of surprise as Ethan’s dark blade pushed through Savilar’s guard. Whatever the man had planned to do with his powerful weapon was forgotten as the tip of Sanguine Flame connected with white armor, and kept travelling downward.
Assassinate!
The power of Ruin surged into the executioner, racing through his body with overwhelming hunger. The Sword of Souls fell from fingers that were devoured by black crystal in a heartbeat, its glow fading. Ethan met the traitor’s eyes for one final moment as they were consumed by dark power.
“For Glenn,” Ethan whispered. “And every other innocent soul you ripped away.”
There was a split second of disbelief in those eyes, and possibly even regret before ashes were all that remained. Warrior, Rift Hunter, brother, and executioner. All that was Savilar Laurent drifted away on the winds of Potentia.
Ethan could at last let the power of his Avatar state fade away as he collapsed back against the side of the mountain. It would be a long time before he sorted through all the emotions that came with this moment, but it was still his victory. A victory and a blow against the Church…and their lies.
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Looking out across the red sky and seeing the raging battle among champions, he almost couldn’t believe there was more to do this day. With a sigh, Ethan began making his way back to the rift.
***
In a flash of white and blue, Ethan was back in Viridus, exactly where he’d left. To be safe, he immediately summoned Deevee and gestured at the portal invitingly. The hydra’s five heads seemed to grin as they moved forward as one, devouring the dimensional energy and closing the rift.
Ethan looked back around the dark stone hall, surprised to find that his team wasn’t where he’d left them. Thankfully he heard voices immediately, and hastily moved inside the central chamber.
The group was all there, alive and accounted for. This included Prince Calevaro, who was standing next to the altar with a comforting hand on Valanor’s shoulder. Cara was next to Selina with her arms crossed and a dark expression, while the Rune Mage gestured at the wall and spoke animatedly. They all looked up in shock and relief as he strolled in.
“Ethan!” Selina said brightly, then moved forward to wrap him in an impressively tight hug.
He smiled back at her when she released him, only for Calevaro to move forward and shake his hand next. “Glad you made it,” the prince said solemnly.
“Maybe you can tell us what happened,” Cara said. She still looked angry, but was unable to completely banish a smile at his return. “We were blindsided by something, knocked unconscious, then woke up to the door open and you missing.”
Ethan was about to speak when Valanor pushed his way forward, and shocked him and everyone else by giving Ethan a one armed hug. It was so unexpected that it took a moment to return the gesture. Remembering how pained he’d seen the knight when Valanor thought he’d lost someone under his protection, Ethan just let himself appreciate the rare open display.
He also knew instantly that the truth about Savilar would wait for another time.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Calevaro asked. He gestured around the room. “We’ve been going through…quite a bit already.”
“Ethan, this whole place is a Church!” Selina said suddenly, as if she couldn’t hold it in. “I’ve been reading the walls, and this is a Church of the Goddess, but it’s ancient! It was never a Dimensional Bleed at all!”
“Right,” Ethan said, still internally debating how much to reveal of what he’d heard from Savilar. “What else did you learn?”
“So much!” she continued, her natural brightness seeming in conflict with the serious nature of what they were discussing. “It’s all here; I think it’s a complete history.”
She moved over and started gesturing at the writing carved into the stones. “There was some kind of schism, and the Church split into factions. The Church we know today seems to be one of them, and they destroyed the other! With their numbers dwindling, that group came here as a last resort, stockpiled some kind of resource, then sealed it off to keep it safe–whatever it was.”
“I think I have some idea,” Ethan said, then removed the egg from his inventory. He passed it reverently to Selina. “I know you had a lot of plans about what your third Bond would be…but I doubt you’ll find a more powerful support Familiar than this.”
Selina took the egg in surprise, then glanced at the altar with understanding. She closed her eyes for a moment as her hand explored the egg, then looked back at the walls, mouthing words quietly to herself. When she finally spoke, it was the most serious she’d ever sounded.
“Ethan, is this what I think it is?” she asked.
“Yes. So you understand the complications and danger that come with it. Don’t do anything too hasty–”
He gave up as she pulled out her final Bond stone in a rush, placing it against the stone. “I know exactly what this means, Ethan,” she said with surprising conviction. The rest of the group looked on in various states of confusion as Selina formed her final Bond.
The process was quick, although it left the tall woman panting. Her body would soon transition to Dawn rank, but from the look on her face, she already understood her new ability. Everyone watched her as she made sudden, intense eye contact with Valanor, who was more confused than most, his mind clearly still clouded by everything that had happened.
Walking forward with more confidence than she normally showed, Selina reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. His limp, crippled shoulder. The shield knight looked like he was about to speak when a soft glow briefly illuminated the chamber.
Valanor’s techwork arm supports had been lost in the battle against the dragon, and the fires had burned away much of his shirt. Because of that, everyone was able to witness the dead lines of his Bond rune slowly lighting up once again, a burnt orange stretching from his chest outward toward his left arm.
The knight gasped as if in pain, but the glow continued, Selina’s face a mask of concentration. The whole process only took moments, and finally Valanor fell back, stumbling against the wall behind him. Reflexively he reached out to brace himself–with his fully functioning left arm. He stared down at it with utter disbelief, as Selina let out a groan and began to collapse.
Calevaro dutifully caught her, and looked between the Nator woman and the impossibly restored knight. No one spoke for a long moment as they all stared at Valanor in shock. Finally the knight whispered a single word.
“Syph?”
Immediately a small eruption of frost appeared before him, quickly resolving itself into the form of a snow-white wolf. The beast was nearly as tall as Valanor himself, and unhesitantly raced forward to begin licking the shield knight’s face. The man didn’t say another word, simply collapsed to the floor, arms locked around the wolf’s neck in a two armed embrace.
The rest of the team exchanged glances. Cara’s and Cal’s were confused, while Ethan and Selina’s were triumphant. Finally the Archer spoke.
“I…I can’t follow all this. What just happened? What does it mean?”
Calevaro’s voice cut in, and it sounded as ominous as it had when he spoke of killing Thavin. “It means the Church has been telling lies. Terrible lies. It means everything has changed.” He turned to look at Selina. “Although I don’t like how much is depending on one woman–however capable.”
Ethan moved past the group, happy to give Valanor a few moments to himself. The knight had lost a brother, and possibly his faith this day, he deserved a few moments of joy at being reunited with a friend. The others watched Ethan as he went to the final door.
“We weren’t sure if we should touch that,” Selina said. “It doesn’t appear trapped, but we thought it was best to understand what this place was first.”
“We understand it,” Ethan said gravely, then reached out and completed the Rune Circle, causing the large doors to slowly grind open. He smiled at what he saw, and the others quickly came to join him. “Thankfully, I don’t think Selina will be alone,” he said.
The group stared in wonder at the rows upon rows of perfectly preserved eggs, each similar to the one left on the altar. Ethan was grinning when he felt Selina’s hand take his, and he looked at her in surprise. She obviously wasn’t one to hold back affection, but this was–
His eyes widened in shock as he felt his flesh tingle, and realized she’d taken his right hand.
The scarred hand.
Selina’s eyes were closed, and the same glow was returning, this time focused on Ethan. He felt waves of heat and cold run through his arm as scorched and ruined mana pathways were rapidly restored. It didn’t take long compared to what was needed for Valanor, and Ethan hastily dismissed his armor and bracers to look at what she’d done.
“Did it work?” Selina asked, out of breath.
Ethan looked down at his right arm, which was absolutely covered in flowing lines and symbols. Gone was the bow and arrow of Apollo; now it looked like the indecipherable swirls and maze that he saw on his spirit in the Astral. Only now Ethan could sense that its power had returned. More than returned.
He greedily looked at the flashing system message, then let out a small laugh at what it said.
Congratulations!
You have restored and evolved [Hand of Apollo]!
You have acquired [Hand of Three Gods]!
Ethan could only shake his head at the new name. It looked like his time as a heretic was far from over.