The group stood in stunned silence, taking in the surreal landscape of the VoidBubble. Normal space, with eight suns and eight moons, defied their understanding of Inner Realms. But their awe was short-lived. A draining sensation washed over them, their energy rapidly depleting as their Runes deactivated.
"What's going on?" Kyra cried out, her body growing weak and immobile. She realized someone was siphoning their StreamBreath through their Sigils, even draining their BlackStone reserves.
Minutes later, the draining ceased, and they slowly regained their strength. Kyra held her head, trying to comprehend what had happened.
"It shouldn't be possible!" Gaia exclaimed, shaking off a lingering headache.
"Yet it happened," CodeForger said, striving to maintain his composure. "Codex-7 is picking up tremendous energy readings to the east. Analyzing StreamBreath Pulsation."
Daed activated Kin. "I'm detecting a Way-Shear! It seems whoever drained us opened it." He turned to look for the entrance, but it had vanished. "They also blocked our way out!"
The Sheriff stood silently, the Aura-Sight Rune glowing beneath his right eye. "I've never sensed a Pulsation like this before!"
"I feel an ominous presence," Sena added, her voice laced with anxiety.
"Trigger your Aegis-Veils," Kyra instructed, and they complied, activating additional Runes as well.
"Has anyone noticed how weird this place is?" Selhob asked through Mind-Lace. "This is normal space, not an Inner Realm!"
"We know," Gaia replied.
"This VoidBubble is fascinating!" Daed exclaimed.
"We can discuss it later!" Kyra interrupted. "First, we find our Prime Target."
"I've traced his StreamBreath signature," Igniss announced, deactivating Aura-Sight.
"I'm picking it up too, not far from here!" Gaia added.
"I suggest dealing with that monstrous StreamBreath Pulsation first!" the Sheriff urged.
"We get him, then I'll decide," Kyra said firmly.
They stopped drawing StreamBreath from their BlackStone and began absorbing it directly from the Way-Shear via their Sigils. Then, they leaped towards ShadowOne's location.
Hovering above him, they observed the scene. ShadowOne, a weathered man with snow-white hair and beard, missing his left arm, stood amidst a group of five Unawakened, all clad in desert cloaks. He was charging his BlackStone with StreamBreath, the LastBorn Sigil glowing beneath his clothes.
Kyra activated Aura-Sight and Akashic-Key briefly to confirm his identity. "We go down," she ordered.
They landed like thunderbolts, startling the Unawakened. Kyra created openings in her Aegis-Veil for speech. "Are you ShadowOne?" she asked in Aetran, the Riders' common tongue.
ShadowOne remained focused on absorbing StreamBreath.
"Who are you?" one of the Unawakened, a young bald man, demanded.
"Indigenous Unawakened, eh!" Kyra responded in Aetran, ignoring his question. She turned back to ShadowOne. "Again, I need verbal confirmation of your CallSign. Are you ShadowOne?"
ShadowOne, finally lucid, activated Aura-Sight and Akashic-Key briefly. "I am," he confirmed. "And you're with the Aggregate!"
"Positive. I am Lady Kyra of the Tenth Spire, a marshal of the Aggregate," she replied. "We're here to take you home."
Tears welled up in ShadowOne's eyes, and he fell to his knees, laughing and crying simultaneously. "I never thought I'd have this chance again," he said between sobs. "I reconciled with the fact that I didn't deserve to go home after the things I've done. Thank you all for coming for me. And thank you for believing in me, my dearest friend."
The Sheriff approached ShadowOne, placing a hand on his shoulder and using Alkahest to clothe him in the LastBorn uniform. "Don't blame yourself," he said kindly. "You did what you had to do for your home. And you deserve to wear this with pride." Kyra was surprised by his unexpected compassion. "I understand you need time to heal, but can you tell us what's going on here?"
"We have a problem with an unseen kind," ShadowOne replied, wiping his nose. "A possible immortal with a severe god complex."
"Elaborate," the Sheriff urged.
"I will," ShadowOne said. "But first..."
He turned to the bewildered Unawakened. "Ronan, my friend, I must bid you farewell," he said in their language. "You're no longer needed. We'll handle things from here."
"Yalis! What are you talking about? Who are these people?" the young man exclaimed.
"Allies," ShadowOne responded. "With their help, I might be able to stop Iskander from destroying Erathos."
"What?" the others exclaimed in unison.
"I didn't come this far to sit back and wait," Ronan protested. "This is my fight!"
Kyra and her team understood the exchange but remained silent observers.
"This fight is beyond you now," ShadowOne replied. He turned to Kyra, requesting a favor in Aetran.
Kyra nodded and lifted her arm, levitating the Unawakened twelve feet off the ground. With Convert, she created a transparent green sphere around them, filling it with sludge. Then, she leaped westward, taking the sphere and its occupants with her.
Landing in a jungle clearing, she released the Unawakened, who stumbled to the ground, still confused and disoriented.
"What's going on?" the tilted-eyed man demanded.
"I don't know!" Ronan replied calmly, seemingly more composed than the others.
"Now what?" the woman asked, her voice trembling.
"Malik, I told you not to accept his request!" the large man shouted.
"I don't care," Malik retorted. "We need to get out of here, and fast."
"How?" the small man cried. "Yalis is the only one who knows how to leave!"
Kyra leaped away without a word, leaving them to their predicament.
Rejoining her team, she ordered, "ShadowOne, Mnemonic-Transfer what you know!"
He activated Mind-Lace and Mnemonic-Transfer, sharing his experiences since being stranded. He revealed how he connected to the VoidBubble, discovered the soul-eating scourge, and lost his arm. He showed them the hidden exit he had stumbled upon, his time with the Yalis clan, and his resignation to his fate.
Most importantly, he shared everything he knew about Iskander, the immortal being. He showed them memories of his quest to save Erathos alongside Ronan and his group of assassins. They had planned to ambush Iskander's team near the exit, targeting Cael, a young man of great importance to the immortal. "That was the plan until I realized a Way-Shear had been opened and started absorbing StreamBreath, regaining my StreamState," Yalis concluded.
Kyra, in turn, relayed information about her team and their mission. Once the trade was complete, they deactivated Mnemonic-Transfer and activated Accelerate-Mind to process the information.
"An immortal!" Gaia exclaimed, still trying to wrap her mind around the situation.
An ancient VoidBubble outside the Nexus, StreamBreath draining, a possible immortal being – what was happening on this Plane? Kyra wondered.
"We should split up," the Sheriff suggested. "One group escorts ShadowOne back, the rest deal with this Iskander."
"Good idea!" Daed agreed. "If only it were possible!"
"Daed?" Kyra questioned.
"Captain, that man locked us in."
"What? That's impossible!" Sena gasped. "Unless he's a Masson or Forgemaster, which he's not!"
"Today, the word 'impossible' seems to have lost its meaning," Daed replied grimly. "As long as his Lock is in place, we're stuck."
"We must inform the Aggregate!" Sena urged.
"Contact the Argent Bastion," Kyra instructed.
Sena activated Akashic-Key to send a message, but her expression turned troubled a moment later. "The message was classified as Exegis!"
The team was stunned. They were accustomed to Coda-1 or Azimuth classifications, but Exegis was unheard of. No one would ever receive a message of that level.
"We should all contact the Aggregate!" the Sheriff suggested.
Kyra saw the logic in his idea. Perhaps multiple messages would lower the classification. "Good idea. Sheriff and ShadowOne, send the message to CallSign GuardianFour."
They complied, but the result remained the same – Exegis.
"How about exchanging it for information on how to escape?" Selhob proposed.
The Sheriff shook his head. "I advise against it. Handling Thûl classified information is not simple, let alone Exegis."
"Then we're cut off," Sena said, despair creeping into her voice.
"If we can't Ride home, then we break him and go through," Igniss growled, his eyes fixed on the imposing black pyramid in the distance.
"He must be waiting for us," the Sheriff said, gazing towards the city and the colossal structure.
"Good. Let's not keep our host waiting," Kyra said with a sardonic smile. "We don't want to be rude, do we?"
"Agreed," the Sheriff replied, meeting her gaze. "But I won't be going with you."
"What!" Kyra and the others exclaimed, their expressions ranging from disbelief to disgust.
"Call me what you will," the Sheriff said, unfazed by their insults. "The less you know, the better. But I need a favor. One of you needs to keep Sense-Share active."
Kyra was disappointed, but Yalis stepped forward. "I'll do it. It's the least I can do."
"You don't owe him anything," Gaia protested.
"I owe you all," Yalis replied. "Besides, I believe he's asking us to assist him with an Ace combat tactic."
"Clever man," the Sheriff smirked. "After this, I'd love to share a barrel of booze with you."
"I'd like that," Yalis smiled.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Gaia asked, exasperated.
"The less you know, the better," the Sheriff repeated calmly.
"Do whatever you want," Kyra said, her disappointment evident.
"Little girl, be careful out there," the Sheriff said, his tone surprisingly gentle. "And good hunting."
Kyra nodded curtly and turned to Daed. "How long to break the Lock?"
"It's complicated. Half an hour, perhaps."
"I see."
"Captain!" Codex-7 interjected. "While analyzing his StreamBreath Signature, I detected no Sigil."
Silence descended upon the group.
"I wasn't wrong," Daed said, his voice filled with awe. "Today, the word 'impossible' truly has lost its meaning!"
"How do we proceed? Slice first, talk later?" Igniss asked, eager for action.
"Negative. I'll take the lead," Kyra said, her gaze lingering on Yalis' missing arm. She knew why he could not regenerate it and the potential danger he faced. "I'll take you home," she thought, turning to Sena. "Sena, you guard him while we handle our host."
"I will."
Kyra looked at Yalis. "Stay alive. Don't overdo it."
"Aye, I won't," he assured her.
"Ready your Soul-Severs," Kyra commanded her team.
They activated Void-Split and Void-Draw, drawing their weapons from their pocket spaces. Kyra's long sword, Daed's Dao, Igniss's white gloves, Selhob's battle-axes, Sena's spear, and CodeForger's handgun materialized. The Sheriff also brought out a Katana.
Yalis, having lost the object containing his Soul-Sever, activated a different set of Runes: Sense-Share, Accelerate-Mind, Mind-Lace, Might, Mass-Shift, Aura-Sight, Acuity, Restore, and Bastion.
Kyra smiled faintly at the Sheriff, impressed by his black-hilted katana. "Nice Soul-Sever! So you didn't trade it for booze after all."
He turned away, clearly embarrassed.
"Stride-Flash!" Kyra ordered, her gaze fixed on the pyramid.
They vanished in a blur, reappearing within the pyramid's grand hall. A large black crystal fountain stood before them, leading to eight stone thrones arranged in a semicircle. Luminous spheres illuminated the vast chamber, casting an ethereal glow on the numerous white sculptures that adorned the walls.
Yalis activated Aegis-Veil.
Standing atop a bloodstain, they beheld Iskander, the immortal. He was as ShadowOne had described: young, handsome, with long silver hair and an enigmatic smile. A cross of distorted rifts, one white, one black, hovered near him. "Welcome to Elysium," he said in an unfamiliar language, his arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture.
The eight Riders stared back, using Aura-Sight, their expressions wary and confused.