The Ashen Path

When the amulet rested upon Renji’s hand, he could hear the voices of those trapped within more clearly. No longer an amorphous blob of voices, they began to speak to him directly. Heeding the voices in the jewel, he found a little button atop the amulet, causing it to open. Within were magical circles written in blood, and a faintly glowing dark purple crystal that pulsed with life. Nemi’s breath hitched when she saw it, and she shook her head. She didn’t recognize it, but she knew immediately that it was a foul perversion of the very arts she dedicated her life to mastering.

Renji wondered what to do. He still couldn’t hear Tiamat’s voice, her guidance was something he desperately needed right now. Without it he felt helpless in the face of unknown magic. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he expected to see Tiamat when he turned, but instead it was Illya. She was nervous, too. Her hand shook with the reality of the betrayal they had just faced, but she trusted him. Even if he was scared, even if he didn’t know what to do, she would support him. It was a feeling he didn’t truly understand. He never really had that kind of support in his life, not from his parents or the school system. Even most of his friends were quick to drop him in the other world once they were out of high school, like he was a burden they couldn’t wait to be rid of. It was overwhelming, but at the same time, it served to calm him down.

Reaching for the crystal, Renji extracted it from the amulet before letting the case drop. The crystal reacted immediately, glowing with a light that was all too familiar to him. However, instead of piercing his chest, he felt like the crystal was trying to suck him in. With what Renji understood of this world’s magic, manipulation was the name of the game rather than simply creating or destroying. In a moment of practice, he was able to conjure more water quickly when he put his focus on taking the water out of the air and nearby plants, rather than simply thinking about creating water. It had gone from trying to suck water out of a thin straw to drinking it from a glass. He imagined magic like this, designed only to consume, must have a means of reversing it—after all, the principle was already there since Draeven was siphoning the life-force of the spirits within to fuel his magic, so surely there was some sort of output he could exploit.

He began to feel himself get weaker and weaker as he held the crystal. Everyone held their breath as Renji closed his eyes and began to focus. It took nearly everything he had, but something finally gave. Like a dam finally falling apart and giving way, the souls trapped within the amulet cascaded from it. The calls of hundreds, if not thousands of beasts and monsters erupted as they finally found their freedom, and this time everyone present heard them. The chorus sang out for minutes as the spirits within passed on, many stopping to thank Renji in their own way, though some chose not to pass on.

First, he felt the hole in his own soul begin to fill once more. Not only was he whole again, but a golden glow entered his hand. Some of the spirits decided to offer their thanks by helping Renji on his quest. The great islandback, a species of giant turtle-like creatures known for their impossibly durable skin and shells. A greater black wyvern, one of Count Draeven’s most recent victims that was known to be notorious nocturnal hunters. Finally, a sylvarin, a giant wolf-like creature whose power came from the phases of the moon. These three creatures found a home in Renji’s body, and offered their might. Renji felt the warmth of their thanks, but also the strength that they offered. He hadn’t transformed yet, but even now he felt like he had been elevated. Perhaps it was the pride he felt within the three new spirits, or the approval of Tiamat.

The crystal in Renji’s hand crumbled to dust, bereft now of the incredible power it held and incapable of hurting anyone else. Nemi didn’t jump to ask how it all happened; instead she gave Renji the space she felt he needed. Illya, on the other hand, squeezed his shoulder momentarily, silently congratulating him on his success.

Around the keep, things were bleak. Most of the guards lay face-down on the ground, cold as ice. After speaking to some of the other guards and servants, it was evident that the only ones spared were newer hires, or those who were rarely called in to work. Draeven had corrupted his own staff, using the corruption planted within them to turn them into his puppets. Why he never called them to help him, though, was unclear. Many of the guards were found fallen on their patrol paths, so whatever order Draeven had given them was likely a simple automated command playing on repeat, rather than the pure omniscient control that he might have wanted to achieve.

Uncomfortable sleeping in the keep of their fallen foe, Illyandaril Rose and her heroic party departed the city quietly in the middle of the night. Once the city’s visage had disappeared from sight, the Dragonkiller Ballistae unable to reach them in case the citizens desired revenge for the loss of their lord, they set up camp and had a quiet rest, hopefully safe from another attack.

They had explained to the servants and guards what had transpired, but it was clear many did not believe them. “Count Draeven would never! He was a true loyalist!” Many of the servants claimed, regardless of the proof they had of The Dark Lord’s corruption. It was hard to blame them. If it were true that Count Draeven had been supporting The Dark Lord, then that would mean that, by extension, they have been committing treason against the crown just by working for him. Servants were never excused from crimes, even when perfectly ignorant. They could not afford the accusations to be true. If favor fell from them, the city would no longer be safe, thus, they all knew that they had to leave before things went too far, and they’d face yet another difficult problem.

Renji finally heard Tiamat’s voice again. She thanked him for doing what he did, and wanted to extend her thanks to the others for their part. She explained that he was not able to intervene at all during his stay in Veltetion because the gods were not allowed to come into conflict with one another. When asked for further explanation, she offered none. It appeared that the gods and goddesses had placed themselves under strict rules, but just what that meant for him, he could not yet say.

Their journey continued east in the morning. The ashes of a man they once trusted as an ally rested behind them, the damage of his actions was evident in the roads ahead, but within days they would find the party in the territory of Barathûn. Their great enemy was not so far away now, and all they could do now was hope that they’d be ready to face this ancient threat. Little did the quintet understand, however, that the threat had always been far closer than they thought, and now that they were within his territory, ancient traps had begun to spring.