Quinn was in one of the largest temples of Caelthrone. The walls and floors were made of smooth marble, and the beds were soft and cushy. By his side was tons of medical equipment. He himself was bandaged thoroughly throughout his shoulder. The organism had yet to reveal itself again. It was very much alive. He was shocked to hear he was in Caelthrone.
The distance he covered for the two days he was missing shouldn't have been possible. He had been two months' worth of travel from the original dungeon entrance he had entered. It actually sparked his curiosity.
"Destiny?" Quinn called out. Destiny was sitting on what could only be described as a stone throne. Quinn had no idea what it was doing in a temple, but he didn't judge. Her eyes flicked towards him. "I have a question."
Destiny nodded "Go ahead."
Quinn hesitated, then asked. "Just... how exactly did you manage to get to Vireth from Caelthrone, and then back to Caelthrone, all in the span of two days?"
Destiny shrugged, a bashful smile on her face. "I used the Waystones... why do you ask?"
Quinn gave her a dubious look. "We could scrape together every penny of our House's wealth, not sparing anything, and we would only be able to use the Waystone once... please don't tell me you used it twice just for my sake."
Destiny scratched the back of her head. "Ah... its fine, really. I still have tons of riches left. Don't worry about little old D."
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Now my concern is whether the methods you used to get access were moral or not. Do tell me how you gained access."
Destiny's eyes scanned the room, searching. Coming up empty-handed, she turned back to Quinn. Her voice a tiny whisper.
"Tantrums are very effective. Especially if you are one of the best prodigies in centuries."
Quinn chuckled, though quickly stopped himself as a pain caught in his chest. With a groan, his chest began to throb violently. Something was attempting to get out. Quinn already knew what it was.
Destiny quickly hurried over to his side. A soft gold glow emanating from her hands. Her hand hovered against the jutting organism. Quinn's body shivered as a shriek rang through his bones and muscles. His hands clenched into fists, and his teeth gritted. He held onto the sheets for comfort, for a sense of anchorage.
"Destiny." Quinn muttered, but Destiny was hyper focused on cleansing him of the terrible parasite.
"Destiny!" He forced out of himself. She snapped back, a hazed look in her eyes. Quinn rested his hand on hers. "Enough, it didn't before."
Destiny contemplated, then nodded. Her hand lowered and she let out a sigh.
"Sorry, I just-"
"It's fine. I get it."
Destiny looked away. Quinn looked down, the terrible mark was still there. Ever present in his life. A looming threat of doom. It was at first glance looked like row of ghastly brandings. But it was actually a inverted spelling of the runes that described "Enigma". Those runes could also be interpreted as "Baneful". Nobody believed it was the former.
Destiny whispered worriedly. "If I do succeed... will it really be enough to get rid of it?"
Quinn didn't answer. He could only wish that was the case. He was tired of this mark. His most recent experiences seemed to prove that it was a curse from the gods themselves, but why? Was it for the sake of balance among the world? To prevent the prodigy Destiny from soaring too high? To remind the mortals of Oplera to not stray to far from their place?
Those answers were logical, but magic could also be illogical. Just as the dungeons were illogical themselves. Too intricate, too alive to be artificial. Yet no nerve nor bone is found in its walls that belong to itself.
Maybe Quinn himself was illogical, he had managed to survive the shift, if only because of his cowardice and the mark. It was more than just some runes, they seemed to prevent him from dying... to an extent. If his head was lobbed off, he would die, no doubt about that. If he was stabbed in the heart multiple times, he would die.
However, it seemed to give him an edge. It was why he had barely managed to survive in the dungeons during the Shift. He hadn't bled out from the ghastly wound of his arm because of it. Quinn was sure of that. It was illogical, everything about the mark was. Maybe that was why it called itself an Enigma. It was unexplainable, confusing...
Quinn shuddered, not only at the sudden realization of the meaning of his mark, but also at what comes after he recovers.
"Destiny, is the news of me surviving the Shift spreading?"
Destiny raised an eyebrow, than a horrified expression dawned on her. Perhaps she realized the implication. "Oh... oh yes, I would suppose so."
Quinn nodded in acceptance. He wanted to bring glory to his family, and he seemed to accomplish his task in a rather spectacular fashion.
'Father, forgive me when I arrive. It is out of my hands now.'
He could only imagine the pile of letters and questions currently making their way towards the Ardanthe manor.
***
Quinn had spent the remainder of the week in the temple recovering. No matter how many sacred priests came by, they could not eliminate the parasite in his skin. At some point, he had simply told them to stop. For good reason, the pressure it was putting on his own body would be fatal if taken too far.
He was also interviewed plenty about his experiences during the Shift. He recounted what he saw and experienced, he even showed the dragon scales he had managed to grab. He sold off five and kept seven. For the express reason of trying to create something from them. Caelthrone wouldn't be of much help in forging something with them. Vireth was domineering in crafting magic tools and equipment.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to still have access to those Waystones, would you?" Quinn asked silently to Destiny. She contemplated for a moment.
"I can try... just don't let it change your view about me too much."
'Eh?' Quinn thought to himself. 'What does she mean by that?'
It took three days of travel throughout Caelthrone for them to arrive at the capital. What a beauty it was. Arrays of large white stone buildings filled the paved streets. Most citizens wore white, the army of Caelthrone had white uniforms with gold adornings. They were choirs singing the praises of Caelimus on street corners. Multiple shops were bustling with activity.
Destiny received idolized gazes from the citizens, and nods of respect from patrolling soldiers. Quinn expected a mob or crowd to surround her, but they all seemed to respect her distance or space.
Destiny looked back at a crowd of admiring children. "Usually they would come up to me and ask questions."
Quinn looked back as well, the children averted their gazes to such interesting sights like the paved roads or the clear skies.
"Huh... I don't think they're fond of me." Quinn muttered, he looked down at himself, he was wearing a basic white tunic. Along with white trousers. The only notable part of himself that stood out was his lack of a right arm.
Destiny shrugged. "It makes this easier. Come on, lets get you home. I'm sure your family has a ton of questions."
Quinn and Destiny walked along, eventually they reached a towering stone circle. Multiple soldiers stood around it, some were of Caelthrone, others were of Vireth. The circle was filled with a deep blue energy. The energy was spiraling into the center of itself. This was the waystone, one of the most impressive pieces of technology in the world. Placed in the capitals of the kingdoms of the world as a message of unity, or at the very least Vireth's neutral stance on world affairs. As Destiny and Quinn approached, the soldiers seemed to grimace.
Destiny walked up to the nearest soldier. The soldier looked up. "Ma'am.. we've been over this. You need to give proof of proper authorization if you want to use the Waysto-"
Destiny cut him off with a raised finger. "Do I need to make another scene, this is one of the most important people on the world currently. He has survived the Shift. He needs to return home immediately, unless you wish to deal with both the wrath of my mentor and the kingdom of Vireth."
The soldier shuddered, stepping aside. Destiny's gaze moved across the other soldiers, none moved to intervene. Quinn gave the soldiers a look of pity. He had seen Destiny's tantrums when she was just a child, he couldn't imagine what it was like when she was grown... was a grown woman even supposed to be good at tantrums?
Destiny looked back, a soft smile on her face. "They listen incredibly, lets visit home."
Quinn walked towards the Waystone. His body began to shiver in its presence for some reason. Quinn looked at his right shoulder, raising an eyebrow.
'It's just nerves.'
Quinn stepped inside the Waystone. He felt his mana being transported at incredible speeds. Across fields, cities, villages, merchant towns. His mind felt distorted, was this normal for using a Waystone? His ears filled with muffled... screams? Cries for help? His body, or rather something in it felt more powerful, fuller. The parasite, it did something.
It was over as soon as it began. Quinn settled back into himself. He was in the kingdom of Vireth. Yet, his once stainless white clothes were now filled with blood and flesh. The parasite had reared its ugly body once again. Writhing in satisfaction.
A mouth appeared on its body. A disturbing grin plastered on it.
Quinn grimaced, he already knew what the parasite did. It happened too fast, in mere seconds at most.
A voice spoke out, it was not Destiny's or Quinn's
"H-help me... oh Caelimus help me."