Cyril Sarnath
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Chapter 200
🕑 Added 2024-01-05 20:29:49 +0000 UTCThis was HARD as this is a kind of ending of Earth saga for Keynes. I will still write about Earth but through eyes of different people. Keynes's journey is now elsewhere :)
I know the encoutner with Vivena is different but there certain reason for that.
- rewrite already erased that prologe
- that fight is a vision Shaper had seen but his vision failed to fulfill.
Anyway, I am off for a month, to recharge batteries, gather ideas and start writing the next saga :)
See you!
----
The Father’s focus shifted as he felt the System doing something. Then the invincible barrier that kept the Inner Sanctuary separated from the rest of the world vanished.
No…
Betrayal.
The Father possessed only rudimental emotions but the System’s betrayal awoke something in the Father that burned in its very soul. The Father tried to connect to the System but found nothing that it could connect to. The System cut the Father off.
No…
The Father sensed the ascenders from outside the Inner Sanctuary stir then begin pouring into his domain. No longer constrained by the rules of the System, the Father attacked them but its attacks were severely lacking due to its ongoing struggle against Zephyr, which stalled for a moment as the ascender seemed to be distracted.
So was the Father. Its attention was split many ways, with its main focus being on the winners of the competition—Keynes and Kora. It appeared that the Father’s will to preserve his dearest creation—the Children of the Forest—would come to fruition after all. It warmed its soul to know that his death wouldn’t be in vain.
Its death was more than certain even with the System’s betrayal, the Father was powerless. The only choice the System left it with was the manner of its demise.
The Father wouldn’t go without a fight and it had one more thing to do…
***
Congratulations, you have placed first at the second global competition.
You have gained following rewards:
- A growth item tailored by the Father (a boss of the second dominion)
- A tailored skill with a nature affinity
- Rod of Sanctuary
- Bountiful Sphere
- Orb of Dominion
- An assortment of 30 different raw materials and seeds
- A Level 6 rift
- Dominion points (100k)
- The Father’s personal insight
The rewards can be redeemed directly from the System at any time and place.
Keynes reeled from the sudden flood of information entering his mind from the System. Kora groaned next to him.
“The reward… what about the training?”
They glanced at the tree before them and saw cracks in its bark. The Father’s once powerful aura was no longer present.
“There is something wrong with it, isn’t it?” Kora asked, coming to the same conclusion as Keynes, the tree was dying, its energies decaying.
Before Keynes managed to reply another message popped up.
You have received a direct gift from The Father of the Forest:
Inner Sanctuary
Warning!
This is a soul-bound item.
Would you like to accept it?
Y/N
“What the hell does it mean it is soul-bound?” Keynes asked, anger bubbling in his chest.
“Until you find a suitable place to relocate my Inner Sanctuary it will be locked in your soul. Once you release it, you won’t be able to put it back,” the Father replied, his voice weak and strained.
“But…”
“It is safe for you and your soul,” the Father said this time with newly found strength. “Even the System doesn’t have direct access to your soul.”
Keynes and Kora exchanged glances, thoughts rapidly churning in their heads. Could they trust the Father? Despite his circumstances, Keynes worried that the System could take control of the Father and Keynes didn’t trust the System.
Then he got an idea…
With a mental nudge, Keynes reached to the Greater System.
“Welcome to the Greater System,” said a familiar voice.
“I have a question about a soul-bound item. Can the gifter or the System use it against me?”
The Greater System didn’t reply right away but Keynes felt its attention on him. After what seemed like hours, the Greater System spoke.
“I have checked the offered item (Inner Sanctuary) and found it harmless and without any danger to you. However, I also found a system entity-went-rouge. Explain.”
Keynes knew that the Greater System didn’t operate for free and the sole fact that it replied to him without asking for payment was a significant favour.
Keynes explained the whole competition and his interaction with the Father and his minions.
“I am satisfied with your response. If you wish to peruse the shop or need any further assistance feel free to proceed but be warned. I may ask for payment.”
“I'm good, thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
Keynes’s awareness returned to his body and he instantly felt a spike of fear, sensing a rapidly weakening connection.
Nearly panicking, Keynes accepted the Father’s gift. The last thing Keynes felt, from the dominion boss, was a wave of gratitude.
Then, without a warning, reality quivered and their surroundings changed, turning into the same jungle that was outside the Inner Sanctuary.
You have acquired a soul-bound item:
The Inner Sanctuary.
Keynes received innate knowledge of the item, understanding it on a level he understood his own body. The Inner Sanctuary was a part of him until he released it. But Keynes had no time to contemplate the wonders of the soul-bound item. As the Inner Sanctuary collapsed a System message appeared.
The Father of the Forest has been defeated.
The Dominion of the Father has ended.
All local dominion monsters are enraged.
***
Zephyr’s Talent finally took hold of the dominion boss’ spiritual core but the expected control of the dominion didn’t come with it, instead, the Father’s core started cracking, and as Zephyr tried to stabilise it, the core splintered.
That’s not possible, Zephyr couldn’t understand how a boss of sub-global dominion was this fragile. Once Zephyr’s Talent got a hold of the boss, it felt like he was holding an infant, not the most powerful dominion monster to date.
The Father of the Forest has been defeated.
The Dominion of the Father—
Something slammed into Zephyr’s side with an impetus that forced all air out of Zephyr’s lungs and he was thrown against a tree that wasn’t there a few minutes ago.
He whirled, evading a subsequent attack, he didn’t sense but expected. Without hesitation, Zephyr’s Talent took control of the surrounding trees and bushes, transforming the immediate area into his personal domain. Using branches and roots he tried to entrap his attacker but they—no, it was her, it was Sophia—escaped. Her Talent made her extremely hard to detect in the presence of trees. In a way, they favoured the same terrain, making it excessively difficult to take advantage of the environment.
But while Sophia only gained advantage in stealth, Zephyr’s advantage was offensive. So it was no surprise that she had taken her chance at killing him and failing to do so, she had fled.
Soon, things began escalating as hundreds of monsters came from every direction. Their eyes didn’t hold usual rage or hunger, they pure hatred.
***
Vivena sensed a change in the spiritual energy a few long seconds before a System message appeared. The invisible barrier holding the ten contenders and the boss of the sub-global dominion vanished.
Surprised, Vivena needed several heartbeats to check the System.
The competition was over.
Keynes, I’m coming.
She used one of the prepared poison mixtures that instantly increased her attributes to a godly level. Then, Vivena became a blur as she shot toward the centre of the dominion, leaving behind a camp and ascenders there.
Over the couple months, while they were waiting for the competition to end, a sizable contingent of ascenders gathered around the centre of the dominion. Officially, the World Government had cordoned off the entire area as they wished to seize each and every contender from the competition for questioning.
Vivena knew the truth. They wanted Keynes. With the Solar Council taking control of the greater rift, the World Government’s became their puppet. Vivena understood politics; the World Government was not content with being a puppet.
And their only option to change that status was Keynes.
But that option would be soon unavailable. She even received a quiet blessing from the Solar Council to kill him.
Vivena was going to get revenge for what Keynes had done. He killed her father and many of her friends living inside her dominion.
It wasn’t something she could forgive even if she wished to…
The surroundings changed suddenly and dramatically. The jungle gave away to a gently forested valley that resembled Eastern Europe rather than South America. The air was considerably colder as well but her focus was narrowed on her target and the surroundings stopped mattering to her.
She sensed people ahead together with other strange spiritual signatures she didn’t recognise. Unfortunately, she wasn’t adept enough in spiritual aura to distinguish between ascenders’ spiritual energy so she couldn’t say if one of these ascenders was Keynes.
She increased her pace, and the world around her blurred.
Two seconds later she burst into a clearing nearby a large stony structure resembling an amphitheatre from bygone eras. She veered to the side, sensing a sudden surge in spiritual power in that direction. It was so potent, it could only be one person.
With a thought, she put on items from her dimensional pouch. Her attributes soared even further, touching on 100 points per attribute. The feeling of invincibility filled Vivena. She didn’t stop to evade trees, she simply crashed through them as if they didn’t exist.
Suddenly, the world shivered and Vivena tripped but with her monstrous coordination she regained her balance in an instant.
The Father of the Forest has been defeated.
The Dominion of the Father has ended.
All local dominion monsters are enraged.
The surroundings changed again, this time back into the jungle. The sudden change of grounding barely hampered Vivena. Trees exploded as she arrived at another clearing, with dense shrubs and trees acting like a wall. In the middle of the clearing kneeled an old, but powerful man.
He was not Keynes. Vivena appeared next to him, easily lifting him up.
His eyes seemed unseeing, only to return to normalcy a second later, then widened in shock.
“Mon..sters,” he grunted with difficulty.
“Where is Keynes Kid?” Vivena asked, hearing and feeling monsters approaching from all directions.
“I… don’t… know.”
Useless.
She threw him away like a doll. The monsters were nearly upon her. Vivena took out her white ceramic sword and swept it in a circle around her, killing monsters that appeared next to her. There was something deeply wrong about them. Vivena had slain thousands of them during her time in the dominion but these here were brimming with singular hatred Vivena didn’t expect even from enraged dominion monsters. In the end, this was of no consequence to her. Nothing could stand in the way of her revenge.
***
Keynes and Kora stood in a small, hidden cave with a tiny stream snaking through the middle. The light came through what appeared to be the only way out of here - a large hole in the ceiling, several metres above their heads.
They were no longer in the Inner Sanctuary as everything around them had changed.
It appears we are back to the jungle, Alice said. It feels so spiritually barren in comparison to the Inner Sanctuary.
Keynes noticed a similar thing through his spiritual sense. Feeling the Inner Sanctuary safely hidden in his soul, Keynes understood why that was. The realm of the Father was Level 5, while Earth remained at Level 1 albeit, it would change over time as more and more materials were extracted from higher Level rifts.
“We have to leave,” Kora said.
Keynes nodded. He felt what was going on outside the cave - mayhem. With the Father’s death, the monsters had been enraged but Keynes sensed more things afoot than monsters. Thousands of ascenders were inside what once had been the Inner Sanctuary. From the guardian, he knew that the time outside the Inner Sanctuary had flowed faster, just not how much faster.
“But we cannot go blind,” Keynes said, then added to Alice in his mind, Can you scout our surroundings?
I can, she replied with a bit of sass then left.
“So what’s the plan if… you know, she appears? Can you fly us away?”
“She has [Flight] like me. We cannot escape her like this. And if we trust in the Father’s assessment, we must assume she is too strong for us to handle. One thing is her monstrous Talent, the other any new skills she might have picked up since our ways parted.”
Unfortunately, the Father didn’t tell them what skills she had or even her current Level. The dominion ranking didn’t say more than a name and number of points and they didn’t want to judge based on that.
Despite the Father’s warning, it still itched him to meet Vivena. Maybe he’d be able to convince her to not fight him? Why was she so mad about the outbreaks? Countless lives were lost, true, but mostly in the first outbreak, which Keynes couldn’t be blamed for and subsequent outbreaks benefited mankind as a whole.
I don’t know what to say, Alice returned a few minutes later. The whole place is full of monsters and people. The best course of action is to fly straight up.
No, Keynes shook his head. People would see us. We cannot risk it.
But you don’t know which way is Vivena, Alice countered.
Yes, but how likely is it to run into her on the ground versus sticking out in the sky like a sore thumb? We don’t have a proper stealth skill yet.
You cannot stay here either, Keynes. This place will be torn apart by the monsters and ascenders.
As to give her words weight, the cave shook. Some serious spells or Talents were thrown around.
“Okay, that’s our cue to leave,” Keynes said. He grabbed Kora around her waist and flew out of the cave.
The world outside the cave was on fire. It was all out war between thousands of ascenders and dominion monsters that could be counted in tens of thousands.
The amount of essence, even divided amongst so many ascenders, was staggering. Any Level 4 or lower would be swiftly paralysed out there.
“That’s a lot of essence,” Kora commented. “I feel like I’m about to drown in it.”
Keynes wasn’t close to that state but he remembered the time in the Jamaican’s rift and his first contact with essence. Not the best of his memories
But something bothered him. With all the fighting around, none of the monsters seemed to pay them any heed. Why?
***
Zephyr fled from the mysterious woman. He couldn’t gauge her exact strength but by the way she had handled him told him that she must be at least Level 10, maybe higher. The presence of such a powerhouse didn’t surprise him, what did was who she had been looking for.
Keynes.
Now, Zephyr was asking himself. Was she Keynes’s friend or foe? If the former, then he might have a problem, if the latter, well, could he make her an ally?
Zephyr used his Talent to keep the monsters away from him, while used the tree farthest from himself (within his Talent’s influence sphere) to look for Keynes. He winces as the jungle was torn apart by spells and Talents of other ascenders.
This is not good. If they continue this, I’ll lose my advantage.
Zephyr pushed his Talent harder, risking some of the monster getting through his barrier of bushes and trees. Their hatred was not natural and they came at him without hesitation and regard for their bodies were shredded by thorns on branches and roots.
Then a familiar power signature piqued Zephyr’s attention in the chaos of battle. Or rather two signatures. He wouldn’t recognise who was who but these two together were unmistakable.
As Zephyr changed course, aiming for them, the monsters’ attacks became so relentless he had to stop and start dealing with them. He also grumbled to himself as essence started to become a nuisance.
To make things worse, something powerful shot through the battlefield like a cannon, throwing everything around.
***
Keynes only managed to push Kora away before Vivena slammed into him. He felt his right arm snap, his bones splinter. His mind whitened for a split second as pain became too great. Purely on instinct, he activated [Chaos Aura], enveloping himself with it.
Vivena was at him again. He used [Chaos Aura] against her fist.
The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Poison Aura]
The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Poisoned Senses]
Sudden vertigo overtook Keynes, then pain exploded in his face. More bones were broken and he was thrown into the air, his body poisoned. If [Chaos Aura] did any damage to her, Keynes couldn’t tell.
Vivena was about to attack him a third time when Kora came to his rescue but even with [Empower] buffed by her Talent, [Conjure Weapon] and [Nature Aura], Vivena was too strong.
Kora lasted only a second against her and she too was thrown away. Vivena didn’t seem to care about her and moved toward Keynes, who was trying to get up. He could feel poisons inflicted by Vivena losing against the Pure Body buff. At least, her skills weren’t too much of a threat.
But her attributes were out of this world.
Light exploded, making Keynes go blind. His mind was sharp enough to realise what happened; Kora used a Talent-enhanced [Light Bomb]. Without a second hesitation, Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith] and [Flight] and left the ground.
He saw the world purely through his spiritual sense as the chaos around them was too much for his physical perception, which worked to his advantage.
Vivena was less likely to figure out where he was, and as much as it irked him to leave like this, Keynes wasn’t an idiot. His health dropped to 30% just from two punches and some poison damage. He was not prepared to face her at this point. He needed to find a way to counter her Talent. He had hoped that [Mind Illusion] would make a difference but with her Mind attribute so high, she might not even notice his mental attack so he didn’t try.
In truth, he didn’t even manage to activate the skill and using [Chaos Aura] was more of a knee-jerk reaction than a conscious decision. She simply was too quick for him.
Keynes used [Flight] to get as much distance between Vivena and him, while Kora would go in the opposite direction, most likely blending with the fighting ascenders.
Barely ten seconds after he took off, he sensed an incoming object.
An arrow.
He dodged as much as he could.
Who’s that? Keynes asked Alice.
I don’t recognise him, Alice muttered. But his spiritual energy is as hateful as the monsters here.
Another arrow…
What is his problem?
***
Baruka had been notified by one of his people who kept tabs on Vivena Sael that she had found Keynes. Baruka’s way to Keynes Kid was barred by hordes of angry monsters, which he dispatched with his hammer and help of several loyal White Masks.
“Argh,” one of his people grunted as a moving tree with thorny branches pushed him away. After months spent in the jungle, Baruka despised trees with all his heart.
Now that Keynes Kid was within his reach, they seemed to stand in his way.
“Burn it all,” Baruka shouted to his people. A few seconds later, [Fireball]s and other fire-themed spells were thrown around.
They heard a loud sonic boom and sounds of splintered wood. Even without, the presence of Vivena Sael was unmistakable. The woman didn’t hide her spiritual aura. Baruka’s high Perception attribute allowed to hear the fight between the woman and Keynes Kid and he swore that he wouldn’t be the one to kill the murderer.
Then as Baruka dipped his head to avoid a large barbed tail that tried to smash into his head, the world turned white. Even with his gaze turned the other way, the light penetrated his skull and blinded him for a couple of seconds.
He reigned his sight in time to see a black speck flying into the sky…
Wait a second… that’s him! That’s the murderer! Baruka’s Level 7 perception was enough to see the speck in detail. He memorised Keynes Kid’s face after he had bought his photo from the black market. Not the cheapest endeavour but a necessary one.
Baruka downed two potions: stamina and physical enhancement, then exploded forward, swapping his hammer for a bow and quiver. He left his people behind to deal with the monsters while he evaded anything that came his way. He could lose Keynes Kid, now that he had him in sight!
Getting in range, Baruka shot the first arrow but it missed.
FUUUCK!
He couldn’t get away! Baruka shot the next arrow but missed again. But something didn’t add up here. Vivena Sael had [Flight] as well so why wasn’t she chasing him?
Baruka glanced her way and saw that ascenders and monsters alike were thrashing around, blind.
Without [Flight] Baruka would lose Keynes Kid, once the murderer reached a thick layer of clouds. Despite a burning rage, Baruka had no choice, he needed Sael’s help here. Kid must die!
“V—argh.” Blood filled his mouth, cutting his voice off. Baruka blinked in shock, seeing a long silvery blade sticking out of his throat.
“I’m sorry my friend, but I cannot let you do this.”
Persephone’s voice was the last thing Baruka heard before he died.
***
Vivena’s sight returned and she immediately scanned the surroundings. No Keynes anywhere. She didn’t sense him, which meant he had used [Spiritual Ghost] skill. She fumed, then she checked for Keynes’s girl but she wasn’t here either.
Ascenders caught by the light spell were still holding their eyes, groaning, while the monsters thrashed blindly around. Then the familiar presence arrived.
The old man from the clearing.
“Did you see where he went?” Viven asked as animated trees and bushes parted, revealing him in the middle.
“No.” He shook his head. “It appears the dominion boss left a gift for me. Any monster in my vicinity would prioritise me with all the hatred the fucking tree could muster.”
Without a word, Vivena took off into the sky. She was very sure he had flown away. She didn’t think he could run in his state. I should have gone for a killing blow, she told herself as soared up in the sky. Pain in her right hand reminded her that Keynes wasn’t entirely harmless. His [Chaos Aura] wasn’t something Vivena wanted to experience ever again.
She knew she should have used a lethal, fast acting poison-imbued [Poison Arrow] instead of physical combat. I won’t make another such mistake.
As she reached the attitude near the limit of [Flight], she started frantically scanning the sky. She would not let Keynes get away from her. No. He would pay for what he had done.
Minutes passed and Vivena grew more anxious. He clearly managed to get into the clouds, somehow. And he may have a regeneration potion. She didn’t consider this.
Her anger started to rise and she was considering to return back and start chasing Keynes’s girl, when something blipped at the edge of her sight
KEYNES!
Pumping all her mana into [Flight] and feeling the skill quiver from the overwhelming amount of mana but held, while Vivena hurried to catch the falling form of Keynes. Her poisons must have done the job.
She was nearly there!
Nearly!
Her spiritual core protested as she hurled toward him with a neck-breaking speed.
Only metres divided them.
She reached for Keynes, her hand imbued with the worst poisons, she could come up.
Ther—
***
“Oh.”
Keynes opened his eyes feeling surprisingly refreshed but his memories were foggy. He remembered the end of competition and death of the Father. After that things got hazy. Did I fight Vivena?
“That wasn't a fight,” Lem Solaris said, matter of factly. “Her Talent is too strong without proper countermeasures. You have to learn how to deal with over-powered Talents first before you can attempt fighting her again. People like Vivena Sael are not unique, though they are rare.
“Nonetheless, Keynes Kid, this is the last time we will meet. I must leave this universe. My master cannot stay here, and for that he apologises. He thinks you have a bright, but challenging future ahead of you. He would love to see it.
“As a parting gift, he struck a deal with the System. We can offer you a single gift that will help you in the journey ahead. Enjoy.”
Lem Solaris vanished, Keynes blinked as the time seemed to resume. He was in the bed with a stunning view.
Of space.
This is a spaceship!
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