The golden portal snapped shut when Maja stepped through one last time. She looked oddly exhausted, her energy reserves drained even though she should have been able to conjure dozens more portals.

  “The chains drain me,” Maja explained, meeting my eyes.

  “The chains?” David tilted his head and bent down beside an unconscious gnome. The gnome was wounded and required assistance, which David had already provided, but [Transcendent Restoration] had failed to restore him properly. That shouldn’t have happened.

  “They consume anything aether-based, be it ambient Aether or energies created with a foundation of Aether,” explained a dwarf with a blazing flame as a life signal, his gaze resting on Maja and David. He was one of the prisoners clad in multiple chains. One set looked especially heavy from the way it pressed down on his shoulders, but the small, dark-skinned man didn’t seem to mind the weight much.

  Was he already used to the pain, or just trying to be tough?

  David conjured the Obsidian Blade and applied [Herald’s Blessing], [Lacerate], and [Rend] to sever the chains, but the dwarf rushed toward the gnome and blocked his path.

  “Don’t cut them!” he warned, his voice frantic. “The chains are tethered to our souls and will kill us if they’re forcefully removed or damaged. You cannot—”

  The dwarf meant well, but David released [Rend] after uttering a few Words of Power anyway. Infusing the Law of Unbinding into his Intent was all he needed—not to sever the chains, but to remove the tether that bound the prisoner’s soul to them.

  He moved faster than the dwarf could react and shattered the gnome’s shackles. Meanwhile, the dark-skinned dwarf screamed and rammed into David, trying to stop him from doing anything reckless—to rescue the gnome—but it was to no avail. Or so the dwarf thought, as tears welled in his eyes.

  “I thought… I thought you were here to help us,” he sobbed, earning an irate glare from David.

  “Why are you doing this? You… you mon—”

  A slap rang through the surroundings, silencing the dwarf at once.

  Maja towered before him, his eyes wide as he looked up at the Portaligist.

  “How about you look properly before calling someone a monster?” she snapped, pointing at David and the golden hue shrouding the young gnome.

  The gnome’s wounds were healing at a visible pace, and his eyes fluttered open.

  “You’ll probably feel a little bit sore all over your body, but that’s normal. Your soul is sore,” David explained calmly. “I had to remove the chain’s tether, which meant cutting very close to the edges of your soul. I did not cut into it, but you may still experience a few episodes of soulburn in the next 48 hours.”

  The gnome stared at David and shuddered. A weak bond of Favor formed, though it did little to disperse his fear—not of David, but of what he was. He was human, and whatever the humans of the settlement had done…it had left its mark.

  “I am here to help you,” David said, though he knew he didn’t sound reassuring. He turned to the dark-skinned dwarf, who had finally stopped bawling his eyes out, and added, “We are not here to cause more pain.”

  Maja raised an eyebrow and threw a pointed look in the settlement’s direction.

  “Erm, maybe that’s not true. I was brought here to de-stress a little.” David chuckled, but he quickly noticed that his joke was, in fact, not funny. “We’ve heard of the destruction of several weaker settlements around here and decided to check what’s going on. Then we found those hoodlums.”

  He pointed at the settlement and stared into the depths of the dwarf’s soul. “Do you want me to kill them?”

  The dwarf’s answer was not important, but he wanted to hear it anyway.

  “I don’t condone violence.” Searing-hot flames of hatred flickered in the dwarf’s eyes. “But some people are begging for it.”

  That was a strange way to say yes, but so be it. David nodded and glanced at Maja.

  “Take care of the others. They can come to Orhain, but they’ll need to see a therapist. And the Truthseeker and Soulseer. I’m not taking any risks with traumatized people who think the entirety of the human race is evil.”

  He was willing to take the prisoners in, but the Favor bonds showed him snippets of their true feelings—their hatred of their perpetrators, their fear of humans, and the scars they carried. Some loathed the human race for the imprisonment, others for the deaths of loved ones, and others for reasons David could not yet name.

  The dwarf regarded David for a moment but said nothing. His chains were still intact, and they would remain on him and the others until David returned. Frankly, David did not trust him, and his reasoning was simple: the dwarf was strong. Too strong. Even the most powerful human Classers who had captured him should not have been capable of facing him head-on.

  He’s not trying to escape the chains, so that’s good.

  “I’ll take care of them real quick,” David announced, casting and overclocking [Phantom Rush] and [Herald’s Blessing]. In the same instant, massive feathered wings sprouted from his back. They fluttered as he kicked the ground, propelling him to top speed near-instantly.

  Pure Blood radiated from him and spread through the surroundings. He added Might, spreading his presence across the entire settlement as he closed the distance within seconds. Several people took notice of his presence, which was hard to miss, and they reacted differently than David had expected.

  They unsheathed their weapons and…attacked each other. Two of the strongest human Classers rammed their blades into their comrades’ necks. They killed two smaller groups of Classers before David arrived in the settlement. He cast [Archaic Shackles] and was a little surprised to feel the connection of firm Conflict bonds. They shimmered into existence and revealed everything he needed to know about them.

  Vampires? No, they absorbed the prisoners’ Essence—and their connection to the Weave? David’s eyes narrowed as he closed the distance. The corpses of those killed by the two strongest Classers dispersed into crimson mist, which they consumed. Their eyes turned bloodshot, and their strength increased drastically.

  They gained access to the Weave. Both managed to do something no mortal was supposed to be able to. Then again, David recalled how he had done something similar even before he acquired the Divine Seed. From the looks of it, David had been better at controlling the Weave, even without the Divine Seed, while these Classers had to kill their allies to gain access.

  Is that why they kept the prisoners alive? To keep them as livestock? Unsure if he was right, David overclocked [Archaic Shackles] as silvery chains burst from the ground. They coiled around the legs of the targets and slithered up to their upper bodies to pin them down. Unfortunately, the two strongest Classers tore through the chains and escaped.

  As for the rest, the Conflict bonds with the other human Classers shimmered into existence and revealed their true feelings. David could only see a fraction, but it showed him enough of their evil deeds to act. The skulls of two weaker Classers exploded in a gory mess, and their remains transformed into a dozen blood-conjured blades. The blades whirled in all directions and tore through the other Classers, following the commands of David’s [Blood Manipulation]. He uttered a few Words of Power to trigger the Law of Blood as well, but it did not require much strength to defeat those disgusting scoundrels.

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  Most were at the peak of the Silver Rank or in the lower region of the Gold Rank. While that was relatively powerful considering the region’s Aether density and the lack of predatory Rifts and humanoid invaders, their superiority complex made sense. But compared to an Ascendant? A 2-Star Ascendant with enough power to fight a 3-Star—at least he hoped so—a Gold Classer was nothing special.

  Even those wielding the Weave were only at the peak of the Gold Rank, though with the prowess of a combatant at the Platinum Rank. They probably had one or two Transcendent stats, but that was about it.

  “W-Who are you?” one of the two surviving Classers roared. David appeared behind him with Passage and pressed his hand flat on his back. He cast [Lifeweaver’s Bond] and left behind a mark before flooding him with 100 units of Vitae Nihilum. Vitae filled the Classer to the brim and spilled out of him when he couldn’t take any more.

  A scream escaped the Classer’s lips as he attacked, ramming his blade into David’s abdomen. Only the tip of the blade penetrated his defenses. If he had been wearing Scalemore, the attack wouldn’t have done anything—not that it changed the outcome.

  “Are you a Sworn?” David tilted his head. Something about the power to consume prey to gain access to the Weave was…odd, to say the least. Unfortunately, the Classer couldn’t answer any more as he dropped dead to the ground.

  Vitae Nihilum had been too eager and consumed the power blooming in his chest.

  “You may as well do it right,” David grumbled, watching Vitae consume the rest of the Classer as he spun to the other man.

  “At least we have another…friend to ask some questions.”

  This time, David infused only a few traces of Vitae into his target. The infusion was far more controlled, and so was the pain he inflicted as Vitae tore through the man’s insides, devouring him from within.

  “You are not a Champion, and I don’t think you are a Sworn either. If you were either, I’d feel that,” David said calmly as the Classer thrust his sword at him. He uttered Words of Power, which surprised David a little, and his attacks grew fiercer. He weaved around David, leaving cuts all over his body, and it turned out that each newly inflicted wound was worse than the last. But as troublesome as that would have been for others, David cast [Blood Manipulation] to keep his blood where it belonged.

  “What are you?” he asked the human Classer, casting [Transcendent Restoration] to heal his wounds.

  David followed up with [Lacerate], and the Obsidian Blade tore through the Classer’s calf. He toppled over and fell to the ground, screaming. His eyes were bloodshot as his head snapped up to meet David’s gaze, but he did not utter a word. Quite the contrary—he stared at David, and his eyes began to glow. Energy gathered in them, and crimson beams barreled toward David. His hair stood on end, and he instinctively conjured a four-layered barrier of [Bloodbound Bastion]. Two of the four layers shattered before the beam lost most of its momentum, and the third barrier cracked before the attack’s remnants dispersed.

  That would have wounded me quite severely if it’d hit me. David realized this at once. His eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

  What kind of peak Gold Classer can lethally wound a 2-Star Ascendant? I mean, I get that there are skills that allow you to pierce a target’s defenses, but those beams were strong enough to kill those much stronger than yourself. Not even [Primeval Pulse] is that powerful…

  No, that wasn’t quite true. [Primeval Pulse] had been just as powerful in the past—probably—if David had enough energy to use it at full strength. His body hadn’t been tough enough to endure [Primeval Pulse] at full power, and he hadn’t had enough energy either. Even now, it was unclear what [Primeval Pulse]’s limit was, as he had yet to overclock the Advanced Class Skill. Then again, the extensive amount of energy it required to be unleashed at full power was not feasible. David had far more abilities that required less energy, and they worked as well as [Primeval Pulse], if not better.

  But the human Classer was different. He did not look exhausted, nor was his body broken beyond repair. The mark of [Lifeweaver’s Bond] showed that his eyes were strained, but that was about it. Interesting.

  “What are you?” he repeated, but the Classer didn’t respond. Instead, his head exploded.

  David barely caught the signs in the Weave. It was no more than a ripple, but it was enough to take precaution. Using Passage, David increased the distance to the Classer to a few dozen meters. A moment later, a massive explosion erupted before him. The Weave rippled once more, but he focused on the devastating damage inflicted on the surroundings. A heatwave struck him square in the face, followed by rubble, dirt, and what could only have been body parts. David blocked most with a cast of [Bloodbound Bastion], his eyes lingering on the massive crater unraveling before him.

  “Someone wanted to make sure you weren’t going to talk, that’s for sure,” he grunted.

  Whatever power the Classer had used to access the Weave, it had killed him before any answers were given. The only thing he realized was that it was likely an Ascendant or god who had given them some special Skill Runes. Or an Intent. Or they learned how to wield an Intent and acquired knowledge of the Words of Power like David had. However, in that case, the Classer’s head wouldn’t have exploded.

  “Except if he overdid it.” David shrugged and left with Passage. He reappeared near Maja and the prisoners when the dark-skinned dwarf from earlier shattered his chains. He tore them apart like they were made of rotten branches.

  “I do not know how you did it, but I am grateful for it,” the dwarf said, blood pouring from his nose and eyes.

  He turned to the settlement and wielded the kind of power David only expected Ascendants to be able to wield. A hill materialized out of nowhere. It appeared above the settlement and crashed down upon the remains with a ferocious, yet also desperate, roar.

  The ground shook as thousands of tons of soil, stones, and various other minerals crashed down. Several prisoners shrieked in fright, and even Maja turned away from the prisoners she’d been tending to, to look at the settlement.

  Her head flicked back to David, who could only shrug and point at the dwarf.

  “You don’t have a spatial storage,” David mused, more to himself than anyone else.

  The dwarf turned to him, his eyes glassy and his body shivering like timber in a storm.

  “Was it really necessary to sacrifice your lifeforce for that?” He regarded the dwarf’s drained life signal and shook his head.

  “Yes, it was necessary,” the dwarf responded dead seriously.

  David cocked an eyebrow. “Either way, how did they catch you if you’re strong enough to bury them all alive?”

  “They took my family hostage,” he said, his voice razor-sharp and as cold as his eyes. David applied [Healing Sphere] to the dwarf, slowly recuperating his lost lifeforce, and regarded him momentarily. The dwarf spoke as if his answer explained everything… and it did. David discovered a few dark-skinned dwarves, but he was unsure if they belonged to him. Considering the facts—the dwarf wasn’t running anywhere to search frantically for his family—they were probably dead. In all likelihood, they had been killed by the Classers to gain strength.

  They took his family hostage, imprisoned him with those tethered soulchains, and killed his family afterward? That’s… He was suddenly unhappy that they had gotten off so easily. He’d love to torture them a little bit more if he could.

  “Don’t look at me like that. They brought my family elsewhere. I don’t know the exact location, but they split up those they’ve imprisoned from the Sanctuaries to ensure we would listen to them. So they can continue siphoning our energy and lifeforce, while keeping us under control. We didn’t realize what was happening until it was already too late, and now… now others will be informed of their comrades’ deaths and our families…” The dwarf looked at me, traces of defiance and—was that anger?—flashed through his eyes. “Now our families are dead.”

  “If they weren’t already dead before. You, and everyone else for that matter, were separated and nobody has a clue whether their beloved are still alive,” David clarified. The words only seemed to make the dwarf angrier.

  Maja approached them with quick strides, her eyes burning with a fierce fire David knew too well. “Our plans have to change.”

  “I expected as much.” He snickered, patting the dwarf on the back until the tiny man groaned in pain. “And he will guide us. After all, he wants to rescue his family.”

  ‘If his family is still alive,’ David could have added, but he didn’t. Instead, he uttered a single Word of Power as he applied Rend to the Obsidian Blade. Next, he released a bright crescent-shaped bladebeam that cut through the air at a blinding speed. Several prisoners yelped in surprise, but their timing was a mess. The crescent blade of Rend had long since cut through them when their screams resounded.

  Surprise, surprise—nobody was wounded.

  “I removed the tethers. Can you bring them to the Sanctuary? Make sure they get some healing, food, a bed, counseling, and I want them to be interrogated by the triplets,” David ordered Maja, who planted a kiss on his cheek before disappearing alongside the prisoners.

  Her energy recovery rate is a fucking joke. David grimaced, still failing to understand how Maja could replenish her dried-up energy reservoir in minutes. She told him all about her status and abilities, yet nothing made any sense. Not since he had taught her [Aether Breath], which had transformed into [Cosmic Abomination]. It was a Spark based on [Meditation], and it used David’s understanding of [Aether Breath], yet it was nothing like either of them. It used Maja’s understanding of the Cosmic Law, which she had acquired shortly after becoming David’s High Champion.

  He was a little jealous of [Cosmic Abomination], as it was the only ability that could be responsible for Maja’s rapid energy recovery rate, but he was also happy for her. It wasn’t like he didn’t have any powerful abilities others were jealous of. If anything, he had too many—not that he would complain about that.

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