B4 - Chapter 86: The Essence of Man (Patreon)

The moment Zeke came into contact with Jaihar’s Soul, it was as if a dam had broken. Images and impressions streamed into him like an unending flood. It was a strange sensation, distinctly different from observing one’s own memories.

All of a sudden, Zeke remembered why he had wanted to avoid doing this again after the last time. The memories streaming into him were not just information but a lifetime’s worth of experiences. In those memories, he saw what Jaihar saw, felt what Jaihar felt, and thought what Jaihar thought—decades of living condensed into a scant few moments. Zeke wasn’t just seeing Jaihar’s life; he was Jaihar.

Worse, he felt that he was being changed by this.

Zeke had long suspected that one’s personality was predominantly made up of experiences. By adding such an overwhelming amount, he would no longer be wholly himself but an amalgamation of Zeke and Jaihar—a fact he had not fully considered during his impulsive decision to destroy Jaihar’s Soul.

The thought disgusted him to no end.

Zeke fought back. He noticed that he could largely prevent the memories from influencing him if he digested them thoroughly enough, one at a time. However, his initial efforts bore little fruit, as he was unable to stem the tide. No matter how many memories he digested, a dozen others took their place. This didn’t mean that it was hopeless, though.

Zeke called upon his Mind Magic, once again entering the wonderous state of increased perception. Time slowed down, and the torrent of information ebbed. Even so, the amount wasn’t something he could deal with. Fortunately, he wasn’t alone—or, at least, he thought he wasn’t.

“Akasha?” Zeke called out mentally while doing his best to fight off the intruding memories.

There was no reply, but Zeke was certain that she had heard him. Their connection was intact, but for some reason, Akasha didn’t seem to be able to respond. It was almost as if… as if she was frozen. Zeke could have slapped himself upon realizing the problem. Of course, Akasha couldn’t respond; after all, time was passing many, many times slower for him. By the time she responded, ages would have passed.

Fortunately, that was a problem he could solve. Akasha’s mind wasn’t human and followed its own set of rules. For her, the only bottleneck to the speed of her thought process was the amount of Mana available.

Zeke flooded their connection with Mana. Gradually, he could feel Akasha acclimate to his own perception of time. Her drawn-out words became more fluid until her voice sounded just the same as it did normally.

[Answer.]

I am here, Host.

Zeke was glad that had worked, but there was a clear drawback. He had underestimated the amount of Mana this required. The combination of his increased perception and Akasha’s massively boosted state put a substantial burden on his Core. In fact, he felt like he would run completely dry in a few moments.

The realization put a wry smile on his face. He had once thought that his high Magic affinities would mean that he would never run out of Mana. Now, however, he was going to burn through his reserves in seconds. For someone with lesser affinities, this would be all but impossible.

Zeke eliminated all distracting thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for this, not when he burned Mana for every passing moment. “Akasha, I need you to help me sort through these memories.”

[Answer.]

What criteria does Host want me to sort them by?

Zeke considered this for a moment. His first impulse was to reject all Jaihar’s memories, but that would have honestly been a waste. Even though he had no intention of taking on any of Jaihar’s character traits, not all his memories were equally toxic.

“I want you to filter out any memories of training, studying, or fighting while discarding the rest,” he instructed, hoping that this was something Akasha could do. After a moment's delay, the spirit gave her reply.

[Answer.]

Affirmative.

Zeke felt the pressure lessen the moment Akasha went to work. The Spirit was many times more efficient when it came to the processing of information. For her, the flood might as well have been a light read. Soon, the only memories that reached Zeke were those he had requested. Relieved, he immersed himself in the experiences.

In those memories, Zeke spent hours in the yard, arena, or study, practicing, training, or studying new spells. It was an endless repetition, years’ worth of progress and insights. Even though Jaihar was far from a prodigy, he wasn’t helpless by any means. The pressure of his overachieving older brother had driven him to practice that much harder.

Zeke saw himself learning his first spell, advancing to become a True Mage, then, years later, a Grand Mage. He practiced and practiced, fought and fought. Time passed slowly; each minute of his grueling practice stretched into infinity. Yet, at the same time, years flew by in the blink of an eye.

He absorbed everything about the Firebrand School, from its secrets to its techniques, gaining insight into every significant discovery of the past few decades. At the same time, he skipped over Jaihar's nefarious deeds. It felt as though Zeke was devouring all the valuable knowledge and achievements of the man's life while excising the rotten parts of his experiences. If Zeke had a Fire affinity, he was absolutely certain that he could cast a half dozen spells without ever practicing them himself. The realization sent his mind reeling.

Zeke saw the day Jaihar escaped from the battle in Undercity after his father died. He was fleeing aimlessly, with nowhere left to run. A messenger of the Varun family approached him, promising safety and… revenge.

Jaihar didn’t realize it at the time, but Zeke saw the thinly veiled contempt in their eyes as they made their promises. They clearly never cared about him. To them, he was nothing more than a tool that they would discard the moment it outlived its usefulness.

Then, eventually, he arrived at the present day.

On the opposite side of the arena stood a brown-haired man riding a Dragon. Zeke could feel Jaihar’s desperation and hopelessness as he realized the Dragon wasn’t even taking him seriously. And then, his final gamble and the disastrous consequences.

Suddenly, he was lying on the ground, the brown-haired man whispering in his ear—a promise of annihilation.

His body shuddered; the thought of death suddenly a whole lot scarier. Even so, there was nothing he could do. His last attempts at resistance were mercilessly squashed as the young man stepped on his hand. His glowing golden eyes never left his own. Time passed, and he felt his broken body slowly giving out. All the while, his merciless opponent just stood there and watched him die…

With a shuddering breath, Zeke's real eyes blinked open to the world around him. His mind spun, a peculiar sensation of detachment enveloping him as his body and soul seemed out of sync. Disoriented and disjointed, he struggled to regain his bearings, the roaring of the crowd a muted whisper in the background. Vaguely, he could hear somebody speak, but Zeke wasn’t listening. It all seemed so distant. He just stood there, motionless.

One breath at a time, Zeke reacquainted himself with his body. He couldn’t be sure if it were seconds, minutes, or hours, but eventually, his mind settled, and the usual sensations returned to him. He was himself again.

Zeke blinked repeatedly, trying to moisten his dry eyes. Gradually, his vision sharpened, and he could make out the faces in the crowd. Most were looking at him with either fear, respect, or a mixture of the two. Soon, his gaze found Snow’s. She smiled widely. Close by, Zeke noticed Aisha and the Chimeroi, their expressions those of relief.

Next, he met Veer's eyes. As usual, the man’s face was a blank canvas, his thoughts a mystery. Even so, Zeke thought he could see a hint of annoyance behind the well-curated facade. Zeke smirked at that.

“This should settle the Yuddha?” Zeke asked, his voice coming out far hoarser than he expected.

Veer nodded, his fake smile returning. “Indeed. You have proven yourself.”

“And my price?”

“…The girl is yours,” Veer said after a moment’s hesitation. Zeke nodded, pleased with this attitude. He had not expected the man to go back on his word, especially in public, but it was good to have confirmation.

He quickly smiled at Snow before returning his attention to their host. “Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Mr. Varun. I don’t want to overstay my welcome, so I think it’s time for us to leave.”

Veer stared at him for a long moment, and Zeke could almost see the murderous thoughts going through the man’s head. However, he wasn’t worried. With so many eyes on them, Veer could do nothing, and Zeke had no plans of staying in Korrovan for much longer.

“Very well,” Veer said slowly. “This certainly won’t be the last time we meet, young friend, especially given your… business ventures below ground.”

Zeke nodded amicably, not at all surprised by the man’s knowledge. He had already suspected that the Varun family had some idea of what he was doing in Undercity, but they clearly didn’t know everything. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let him be for so long. It was far too late to stop him at this point.

He bowed at the crowd, eliciting another round of cheers before making his way back to the entrance. By the time he finished changing his clothes, his group was already waiting for him. Gravitas, Vulcanos, and Ash were standing protectively around a girl with white hair and red eyes.

This was only the second time Zeke had met Snow in person. The last time, she had been locked in a cage, huddled together with a dozen other frightened faces. Yet now, a shy smile adorned her features, and the dimples on her cheeks added to her cute appearance.

Zeke approached, a matching smile on his face. He extended a hand to the girl. “Finally, we meet.”

Snow gazed at his hand for a brief moment before reaching out and clasping it firmly. Her touch was warm, and her grip was so tight that Zeke could feel the rhythm of her pulse. Her heart pounded in her chest, quick like that of a startled animal.

“It’s alright,” Zeke said soothingly. “You are safe.”

Snow nodded, but her pulse didn’t slow, and neither did she let go of his hand. Zeke couldn’t say that he disliked it. This behavior reminded him of his own little sister, making him want to dote on her. Before he knew it, his hand was already stroking her head.

The girl stiffened momentarily but soon relaxed and seemed to lean into his touch. Zeke smiled. He was fully engrossed in smoothing out her matted hair until he heard a cough right next to him. Zeke turned his head to find Aisha standing there, staring at him.

Recognizing the situation they were in, Zeke withdrew his hand from Snow's head, to her visible disappointment. Instead, he crouched, meeting her eye level, and offered her his warmest smile. “Do you remember our promise?”

Snow nodded.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

Another nod.

Zeke smiled at her, returning her nod with one of his own. He got up and started to lead their group out of the stadium while never letting go of her hand. There was much he still had to do before he could leave the city, but the pieces were all in place.

Now, he needed to find someone to carry on his work while he escorted Snow to her home, where the purifying Mana plant awaited. Luckily, he already had the perfect candidate in mind. This was the first time in a long while that it felt like all his plans were coming together nicely.

Leaving the Treasure Pavilion behind, Zeke's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he gazed at the horizon. It was time to bid farewell to his life in Korrovan and embark on a new journey. Time waited for no man, and Zeke knew he had to make every day count.

A new adventure was calling.