[Tian] 1:29 (Patreon)

“WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE KALMAT HAS GONE.”

I tap a finger on my universal translator, thinking that it is still not fully functioning properly. However, when I peer at the faces of the Keepers of the Grove, I realize that there is nothing wrong with it. Kalmat is missing.

A frown crosses my face. I look between Nindran and Seiled. Both avoid my gaze. “Where is he?” I ask, and they do not answer. “When did he leave?”

There is an eerie quiet over the Keepers of the Grove. Even more so since the fighting in the distance has died down, and I can no longer hear the stray blasts and explosions from far off. I open my mouth to repeat myself, but someone finally answers.

Beihal steps forward, folding his arms across his broad chest. “He left as soon as we returned to Thornthistle. We were trying to regroup— gather whatever we have left. But once we were reunited and readied ourselves for the oncoming attacks, he disappeared.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “That does not sound like him.”

“But it is true,” Seiled says from the side. His voice is quivering, shaking, It is a begrudging acceptance with which he speaks. “Kalmat has… abandoned our cause.”

It is impossible; I do not want to believe it. However, I can see that they are telling the truth. They have no reason to lie to me. And yet, it is not something I can simply absorb— fully comprehend— right this instant.

I bite my lower lip, wondering why Kalmat would suddenly turn tails and run. But a voice breaks me out from my thoughts. A man stumbles out of the building, resting his hand against the wall. I recognize him. He has a lighter complexion than the others in Thornthistle. He does not come from this city, but from the mountain range far beyond.

“Didn’t I tell you all that it’s hopeless?” Bluerage sputters. “There was never any point to all this. You are all fools for thinking that you could have defeated Galgom!”

Heads turn. The man is fixed with angry gazes from multiple members of the Keepers. But they say nothing. There is nothing to say.

“Now, because of all of you, this city too will be destroyed.” He angrily shakes his head. “It is hopeless. There is no point in fighting any longer. All we are doing is delaying the inevitable.”

I pause. My eyes narrow. There is a slight susurration now passing through the gathered crowd. Still, no one repudiates him. Keshiy shuffles her feet, taking a step forward, but he continues.

“We are all going to die—”

“Shut up,” I say, my brows arched over my eyes, casting a shadow that blankets over my face. Bluerage blinks. He raises an accusatory hand, but I grab it before he can speak. “I said: be quiet.”

“Y-you— you do not even come from this world. Who are you to tell me what to do?” He shrinks back, his demeanor betraying his words.

“You are right.” I nod, letting go of him. He nearly falls over, barely catching himself upright. “I do not come from this world. I have no reason to fight for it. Yet, here I am, offering you the last chance you have to defeat Galgom.” Taking a deep breath, I let a pensive silence settle in before I continue. “The Websmith is dead.”

There are a few gasps. Morose sighs. But is it unexpected? They must have known it from the moment I returned alone, without the giant spider accompanying me.

I turn away from Bluerage. He wants to say something, but I do not even acknowledge his presence; there is no use in talking to someone who has given up. Nor do I have any intention of convincing him to fight. I shall save my breath.

I call forth my Aspect— the feathery, white wings sprout from my back, drawing gasps from those around me.

“Your guardians are gone. Now, the only one left to fight for Utana is you. Is death inevitable? Perhaps you may believe so. However, I do not. And that is why I will fight.”

With a single flap of my wings, I take off into the sky. I am carried far above Thornthistle. I hover there for a moment as I take in my surroundings. I snap my eyes shut, feeling the First Essence cours through my body. The School of Divination.

When it opens, I see the world differently. I can see every person, monster, and machine around Thornthistle. Buildings are densely packed in different spots throughout the city— shelters, protected by powerful Elementalists. Scarce monsters roam the kwyer forests in the surroundings, being hunted down by the few mindless En which remain.

I spot a lone figure, towards the mountains to my left, with recent tracks leading to it. Probably a few dozen cycles old. I am just about to fly in that direction when I hear my voice being called.

“Tian!”

I glance down at a speck moving towards me. A figure soars up my way, trailed by a torrent of flames. I narrow my eyes as Keshiy flies past me, the fire dissipating.

“Tian—” she repeats herself, right before plummeting straight down. She sends another wave of fire down at the ground, keeping herself afloat for a moment before I grab onto her.

“Keshiy, what are you doing?”

“You’re searching for Kalmat, aren’t you?” she manages to ask through labored breath.

I nod. “I have found him. I was just about to head his way.”

She blinks. “Y-you have?” Shaking her head, she steels herself and asks in a determined voice, “Take me with you. I need to speak with him as well.”

I peer into her face. The normally-nervous woman is gone. Instead, she burns with passion, with the same fire as the color of her hair. I smile, fluttering my wings as I propel myself forward.

“Very well.”

***

My eyes flicker as I glance back. Is something following me? It is certainly not the En. Those cannot possibly keep up with me, nor are they intelligent enough to even know to pursue me.

“Is something wrong?” Keshiy asks as we land at the mouth of a cave.

“Perhaps,” I say, pulling out a ginsoul pill. I have three left. And I am on the precipice of needing another one. “Just be on guard.”

She gulps, following a few steps behind me as I enter the cave. I step over broken metal parts— the remnants of some En. And is that… an Esh too? I am certain it is Kalmat waiting inside this cavern, but I remain cautious, each step deliberate.

It is dark and damp. Keshiy lights a fire, and something in the corner jerks up. Keshiy squeaks, almost hurling the ball of flame at a shadow figure. I raise a hand and stop her.

“Wait.” I take a step forward, narrowing my eyes. “Kalmat?”

“Leave,” a voice comes back. Kalmat sits in a corner, dressed in ragged clothing. His back is hunched, his arms wrapped around his knees. He glances up fractionally. “Tian, Keshiy, please leave me alone.”

I do not give an immediate reply. I can assess his state; I can infer from the fact that he ran away that he does not wish to fight. And yet, Keshiy stares at him in shock.

“What happened to you?”

There is not much of a response from the man. He flops a hand down to the muddied earth, his arms caked in dirt. Kalmat avoids Keshiy’s gaze, choosing to look down at the ground instead.

“There is no point in humiliating him any further.” I walk past the orange-haired woman. She blinks, then turns red. I shake my head, bending over Kalmat. “You look defeated,” I observe simply. “Did you truly think that the war is over just because the battle was lost?”

His lips are drawn into a thin line. “…I did not surrender because of that.” He speaks through grit teeth. There is still some fight left in him.

“So, why do you lie here in sorrow while your people are dying to Galgom?” I pose the question to him, not pulling any punches.

He glares my way with what little energy he has left. Then he droops. “There is no point,” he says, his voice dropping. “The Websmith is dead. All is lost.”

I pause. “How do you… know that?”

“It’s a part of my Aspect,” Kalmat explains. “I can mark those with an Aura. Leave a bit of myself behind in them. That way, I would know their status.”

“And you sensed the Websmith’s death.” I nod. “That is why you decided to flee.”

“Tian.” Keshiy elbows me. She shoots me with an angry look, but I ignore it.

“Blunt as always, I see,” the man chuckles.

“I am simply speaking the truth as it is.”

“And you are right. I have given up. All four guardians of Utana are dead. Even with everything we had— everything we could throw at Galgom— we lost. He has dozens of bodies. He cannot be killed.”

“On the contrary.” A small smile spreads across my face. “The fact that he has multiple bodies instills more confidence in me than otherwise. That means he can be killed.”

“It is impossible.” There is certainty in his voice. “He may as well be a god—"

“Shut up!” Kalmat is cut off from a voice behind me. I glance back at Keshiy who has her hands clasped around her chest. She stares down at the man, almost disbelievingly. “This is not you— this is not who you are, Kalmat. Why are you here? Why are you like this?”

“This is who I am, Keshiy,” he says in a bitter voice. “Perhaps I had all you fooled, but I am nothing but a coward. I couldn’t do anything but run when my parents died alongside the Grovetender to Galgom, just like I couldn’t do anything when so many were killed by him once again. The Websmith, Hashi— so many deaths. All of them my fault.” He curls up into a ball by the stone wall. “I never should have left this cave. I should have stayed here as Granvil told me to. Live a full life and die alone, away from that mess.”

Keshiy takes a step back. She looks down at him, eyes wide. “This is…” she starts, but cuts herself off. “No— you’re not Kalmat. Kalmat would never act like this. You’re a scared child.”

Those words seem like they struck the man across the face. He purses his lips and snaps, “Maybe I am.” Taking a deep breath, he slumps back down against the cave wall. “But who wouldn’t be afraid of all of this?”

The orange-haired woman flinches. I can tell that she regrets her words. Neither say anything. I narrow my eyes as I hear a soft thud from far beyond the cave, and I let out a sigh.

“You are right, Kalmat. Fear is a natural response to this situation. No one can blame you for losing your wits, knowing that even with everything on your side, you failed to overcome the enemy. Losing the Websmith too— I cannot fathom what went through your mind when that happened.”

He averts his gaze as I trudge up to him. I bend over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“However, the Websmith’s death is as much my fault as it is yours. I was the one who was fighting by her side, not you. And she protected me. She fought to keep me alive. That was why she passed on.”

“…is that supposed to change things?” he asks, still not facing me.

“No. But let me tell you something, Kalmat. Before the Websmith passed on, she brought me down to your world’s core. She showed me the way to the Pishitim.”

The man pauses. He shifts slightly, looking up to meet my gaze. “The Pishitim… no one but the guardians have ever seen her.”

“Well, I spoke to her,” I say with a smile. “The Pishitim told me about her role in keeping this world alive. She told me about how vital she is in ensuring everything in Utana thrives. And she helped me understand myself.” I place a hand on my core. But it is not just Qi I sense. My Aura lies within, simmering up, waiting to burst out in a glorious fashion. But I push it back down. “Galgom vies for her powers. He is actively trying to reach her, right this very moment. She knows that her life is in danger, yet the Pishitim did not ask me to save her.”

I cast my gaze to the palm of my hand. I see a small ball of light coalescing there. It is not visible to anyone else. It is my Qi running through my meridians. The very same Qi that every living being in Jhiesie has. It is no longer as abundant as it was when I first arrived. Especially with my supply of ginsoul pills reaching new lows. But it is brimming with more energy than before.

More drive.

A figure looms over the cave entrance. Metallic footsteps. “An Esh,” I murmur as I spin to face it. “And here I thought that Galgom himself was going to show up.”

“OTHERWORLDER—”

I leap next to it, cutting it off. My Qi turns into a blade over my arms, and I slice the machine clean in half before it can finish. I land on the ground and let my Aspect take over me as I see the other figures march up my way. More Esh.

“I was not sure why the Websmith brought me to the Pishitim. Yet, she did.” The white light crashes down on the first, unsuspecting Esh. The others took to the skies in an instant. I spread my wings wide open and chase after another, bringing it down, smashing it into broken pieces against stone and rock. “She died to Galgom. All four of Utana’s guardians were slain by him. Your world is now left unprotected. There is no one left to fight for it. Not the Pishitim. Not the Grovetender. Not the Icecaller. Not the Websmith. Not the Flamelord. And not the Elocunive.”

I get back to my feet. Two Esh fly at me, swinging their glowing blades. I easily counter their strikes. I target their joins, ripping them apart with little use of my Aspect.

“There is no one. No one but myself, and those who survived the battle.”

My Aura coalesces into a kind of rope. I fling it at the last Esh, bringing it down crashing into the earth. It does not break immediately. It manages to fire one beam my way, which I easily dodge by tilting my head to the side. The attack misses, but goes straight for Kalmat. I click my tongue, about to move. But a figure steps in front of the man.

Keshiy conjures a ball of flames. She sends it at the Esh’s ray. A blazing wave, inundating the laser with its fiery currents. It stops the attack entirely as Kalmat stares on at the spectacle.

“I’m sorry Kalmat. For what I said earlier.” She stands before him within the torrent of fire. The flames reflect in her eyes as she glances back at him. “But it is true. You’re scared. Just as I am. Just as the others are.” Keshiy shakes her head, her orange hair dancing with the embers around her. “And that is why I came here. I can’t just let you be afraid all by yourself. You saved me, Kalmat. When I lived every day of my life fearing that the next day would be worse than before, you gave me hope. Hope that things could be better. I was still afraid. Just a little less so.”

Kalmat looks up at the orange-haired woman, mouth hanging open. “I…” he trails off.

I walk up to the last Esh as it flails its glowing blade at me. I press a foot on its head and crush it, before looking back at Kalmat. “I will fight for Utana. Now, the question is, will you?”

Kalmat hesitates. He is the leader of the Keepers of the Grove. He is a warrior, marked by the Elocunive. A Bladewielder. But most importantly, a man. A scared man. However, one with some fight still left in him.

“I will.”

For resolving yourself to save Utana, you are awarded a level in your Class!
- Soul Seeker Level 4 advances to Soul Seeker Level 5.

For harmonizing your soul with your wants, you have been rewarded with a Class advancement!
- Soul Seeker Level 4 becomes Soulborne Level 5.
- One who has found their path, at peace with themself, ascending beyond fleeting pursuits of power.

Tian
Race: Ren
Class: Soulborne Level 5
Feats:
- Void Walk
- Ray of Esh
- Dual Core
- The Guardian’s Blessing
- Soul Cycle

Author's Note:

Same thing as said in Salvos and Melas chapters: Chapter uploads will likely be erratic. Although less applicable to Tian as I am in a time constraint due to being with a publisher.