Chương 22: Hooded Scholar

"Did you just say… Divine? How fascinating." Anadis instinctively spun around, then took a step back, beads of sweat already crawling down the nape of his neck. Someone spoke in a hiss from the shadows at the far end of the ruins, right down the tunnel where the natural light failed to reach. The intruder drew nearer as he heard the steady taps of heels on the stone path filling the silence. Hel's eyes widened in genuine shock. Anadis knew this was definitely the last thing she had expected.

"I was planning to watch a little longer," the voice came in a purr, "but a Divine Boon, that's something worth revealing myself for." He peered into the darkness, heart beating, until he spotted her. She was a she, though her voice had already confirmed that. The woman walked with a teasing and powerful grace, one leg crossing elegantly in front of the other. Anadis's body moved on its own, instinctively stepping back as though her mere presence forced him backward.

She wore a velvet-draped artisan's robe, her face hidden beneath the deep shadows of her hood. Her hands looked soft but deadly, elegantly adorned with a mixture of silver rings and bracelets that stood out against her alabaster skin.

"Hel, who's this?" Anadis asked with urge through their mental bond.

"Wasn't this place only supposed to be accessible by you and me? Do you know her?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little goddess bite down on a nail, her face twisted in a scowl.

"I let my guard down. I should've closed the entrance instead of letting it seal itself. That's how she got inside, but how did I not notice her presence?" The woman stepped closer, and her green vertical slit pupils flicked from the fallen crown to Anadis. He didn't think twice and summoned the Curved Sword into his hand.

"I'm not here for a fight, kid," the mysterious woman said, raising one hand placatingly, each finger tipped with long, glossy velvet nails.

"I was simply observing. I want to negotiate, and I hope you'll cooperate." She threw back her hood and shook her head, a puffy bun of dark hair tumbling free, but he didn't pay much attention to that. It was her sharp, pointed ears that truly drew his eyes, each filled with multiple elegant, colorful earrings; they were nowhere near as long as an elf's but still sharper than a human's. She's a daemon, more specifically an ophidian. He regarded the ophidian woman coldly, but his icy glare only seemed to amuse her.

Her grin widened, revealing the barest hint of long, needle-thin fangs, while her green slitted pupils contracted with predatory delight, an expression he had learned was common on ophidians, though he knew better than to let that define them.

"How did you get inside?" Anadis asked, clenching his sword tighter.

"That shouldn't have been possible."

"Easy, Vessel," Hel advised, her voice low and guarded.

"Look at her core."" I know…" Indeed, Anadis had already glanced at her Divine Core, a vibrant red orb with three thick threads connected to its surface, writhing like living tendrils. Same as Father, she was a Luminous. Someone Anadis wouldn't be able to match even if he multiplied himself a hundred times over.

"Oh, you left the entrance open, so I thought I was invited in," she said with clear amusement.

"I apologize for my intrusion." Then she took a step forward, and Anadis raised his sword. She watched him with amusement and open curiosity.

"You are a very interesting child. I had been studying those runes outside for over a year and never found a way to crack them, not even a little bit. And I'd say I'm rather confident in my rune-etching ability. So imagine my surprise when a random adolescent talking to himself strolls up, stares at the runes for a few seconds, and simply walks inside." She tilted her head with open curiosity.

"How did you manage that?" How could he respond to that? It seemed she couldn't sense Hel at all, as expected, and at least for now, she didn't appear to have any ill intentions toward him. Still, he wasn't gullible enough to lower his guard. She could kill him in the blink of an eye.

"Stop with the charades and just tell me what you want." His voice didn't waver, even though he was shaking down to his bones.

"Well, well…" she cooed.

"Someone's a little anxious. Perhaps I should tell you that I—""You're a Luminous," Anadis finished for her. She froze and closed her mouth, then she smirked, running her split tongue across her thin fangs.

"Oh my… just how could you tell?" He remained silent.

"Truly interesting, kid. Change of plans. I think I'll take that Boon… along with you."

"You're not taking anything," Anadis declared, quickly grabbing the Thorn Crown from the stone slab and hiding it in his tunic.

"Come on, don't be like that," the ophidian whispered, her voice smooth and coaxing.

"I've been patient for over a year. The least you could do is hear me out. I'm not going to forcefully take it from you. If I wanted it that badly, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She let that land, knowing it had an effect.

"You made it here through Unhallowed territory. And you're just a first Ascension, if I had to guess. How old are you?"

"I'm indeed just a Blessen," Anadis replied, knowing there was no point in lying.

"And I'm thirteen."

"Thirteen? You're still so young. Just how did a thirteen-year-old figure out such runes? And why did you come here?" Her eyes sparkled with novelty.

"Also, out of curiosity, who were you talking to?"

"That's a lot of questions." A small, hissing giggle escaped her.

"Yes, I do have a lot, but can you blame me? Here just to show you that I mean you no harm and that I'm truly interested in learning from you, I'll answer any questions you may have."

"Vessel." Hel's voice cut through their bond, low and stripped of her usual smug edge.

"This woman is a problem."

"I know she's a problem," Anadis shot back mentally.

"Did you just realize that?"

"I have an idea. She's blocking the way toward the only exit. And even if she weren't, you can't fight a Luminous and hope to survive. So for now, keep her talking and on my signal… attack."

"Attack who? Her?!" Anadis replied, incredulous.

"Didn't you just say I can't fight a Luminous? What kind of plan is that?"

"Just trust me," Hel said firmly.

"I'm a goddess. I know what I'm talking about." Hel zipped ahead, darting toward the entrance of Eljudnir. Whatever she had planned, Anadis had no idea. His only option was to do as she said: keep the ophidian woman entertained.

"Hello? Gaelora to kid. Did you forget how to speak?"

"Alright, answer me this," Anadis began, eyes fixed on the Luminous.

"Who are you, and why has an ophidian who is so far from home been studying these ruins for a year?"

"Good. I worried there for a second you were going to ask something foolish or even worse, try something foolish, because even though I'm a Luminous, I hate conflict. I'm a scholar first," she said, clapping her hands together.

"As for who I am, just call me Ring."

"What kind of name is that?" Anadis asked. He also didn't let himself be fooled by the statement. No one reached Luminous rank without thousands of battles behind their backs.

"It's a code name. Have you heard of The Palm?" He searched his memories, but nothing came to mind, so he shook his head. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I guess that was to be expected," Ring said with a small shrug.

"I really shouldn't be telling you this, but I want you to understand. That matters more than protocol right now. We are a group that believes the way the world has been running isn't the best."

"What are you? Some kind of resistance group?" Anadis didn't like how easily she revealed her group's name. It meant she was genuine about taking him, or worse, killing him if he didn't comply.

"Sure," Ring replied, her tone growing more serious.

"We believe the same people have had their palms on the scales of the world for far too long, driving our society down the wrong path." Her tone was calm, carrying the unshakable confidence of someone reciting a reality they had believed for a long time.

"Every citadel archon, every king or emperor, whatever title they use, has been dragging us down, and I mean every race: my own daemons, yours, humans, and the rest alike." Humans and daemons had always been in conflict. Just less than three decades ago, the Second Great Human-Daemon War began and then ended with the Ashen Vain War. The conflicts were always fought for the same mindless reasons over and over: hatred, power, and for more territory in Igindor and the Shrouded Continent alike.

Of course, he didn't know the full details, only what the school's textbooks had told him.

"It's all a system designed to keep certain people in power while the weak suffer under their rule," Ring continued. Her slitted green eyes met his golden eyes.

"Goddess Helphrena did not die for this." If only she knew how matter-of-fact that statement truly was.

"I suppose that's a noble cause," Anadis said.

"A bit idealistic, if you ask me." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, as if agreeing quietly.

"Still, what does that have to do with you studying these runes?"

"People think only Attuners can etch runes, but Blessens can as well, though I suppose you already knew that," she said, crouching down and running a nail through the dirt. She was writing runes. Anadis didn't understand how to read runes, but he knew one when he saw it, so he tensed, then relaxed when nothing happened. She chuckled a bit.

"You see, when I, a Luminous with years of experience in runic etching, came across some that I couldn't decipher, I knew something important was hiding behind them. Something that would be beneficial to the Palm's goals." Ring winked once.

"Guess what? I was right."

"So you want me to come with you, spill everything I know about this Boon and the runes, and join your little rebellion group?" Anadis asked, keeping his voice steady. He really shouldn't be talking so brazenly to someone so strong.

"You don't need to join, but definitely talk to us. Let me explore that little head of yours," Ring grinned, all charm and fangs.

"Come willingly, and you have my word no harm will come to you. Refuse…" She let the silence stretch, tongue flicking across her teeth again.

"Well. Your choice, child."

"I'm not interested," Anadis said at once, his grip on the Curved Sword unnaturally tight. Her brows rose, genuinely surprised for a split second. Then he saw her playful mask cracking slowly. She let out a low sigh and clasped her hands in front of her.

"For your own good, please comply."

"I said I'm not interested." For the first time, real irritation flashed across her face. She tilted her head, slitted eyes narrowing. Her gaze drifted to the bulge of the Thorn Crown beneath his tunic, then back to his eyes.

"Cute." She took one elegant step forward, the click of her heel echoing like a warning.

"Go on then, little human. Do your best to resist me." The air around Anadis changed. It thickened, pressing inward as though it had suddenly gained weight. His knees wanted to buckle, and they did. His lungs felt smaller than they should. Perhaps because he had unknowingly lived with a Luminous his entire life, he hadn't really thought of how powerful one actually was when they turned serious. But now he knew, as she, a Luminous, radiated her Divine presence outward, directed at him, a mere Blessen.

What could he even do against such a foe? The sword in his hand suddenly felt inadequate, not because it was weak, but because in front of her it felt like using a wooden stick to fight a Grull, useless no matter how many times he would tried to slash the thing at her. But then, very unexpectedly, the temperature inside Eljudnir dropped all at once. A chill made the little hairs of his arms stand on end.

Icicles formed where water had been trickling moments before, the puddles froze mid-ripple, and the air itself seemed to crystallize, growing sharper and harder to breathe. And then the souls came. They had been there before, but they were felt more than seen, drifting at the edges of his perception. But now they surged forward, and they were not faint wisps anymore. They were vast. The light they emitted was a soft blue—the color of deep winter and dead stars. Hundreds of them. Thousands.

It was as if the many meandering souls in the hall had finally found a purpose, a target, and it was the Luminous before them. Ring's expression changed to something new for the first time. Her amusement dropped away completely, and her face twisted into one of worry. The souls attacked her like a swarm of insects. No, they moved more like a tide, fast and inevitable, without anger or malice, but like a force of nature that could eradicate anything.

This was judgment, the judgment of the hall of Eljudnir seeking another soul.

"What is t-this?!" Ring's voice cracked on the last word. She punched at the nearest souls attacking her, and the gravity around her fist warped violently, bending the light, scattering the souls into fragments, only for them to reform instantly and press forward again. She swept her hand across her body, space twisting as she blinked out of existence for a fraction of a second. Is her Blessing some kind of gravity manipulation? And also, yeah, what the hell is going on!?

She had truly disappeared, but that only lasted for half a second because the swarm of souls came crashing into her, forcing her to reappear. There was nowhere for her to go. For the first time since she had stepped out of the shadows, Ring looked like she was afraid to be there.

"Vessel, stop gawking!" Hel bellowed in his head.

"The souls are just for show. On my signal—do it! Kill her!"

"Hel?" Anadis watched in shock as the goddess glided down and vanished into the Luminous's body. Not even a second later, Ring stiffened and gasped for air, clutching desperately at her chest. What is Hel doing? Is that the signal she mentioned?

"Do it now, vessel!" Hel shouted in a desperate plea. He snapped into motion and lunged toward the Luminous, sword raised, ready to strike, but at the last moment, for reasons only the Gods knew, he dismissed the Curved Sword. Not knowing what to do, every option feeling wrong, he grabbed the ophidian woman and threw her onto his back, running toward the exit of Eljudnir.

"What are you doing?" Hel asked, her voice strained.

"I don't know," he was being honest. Something deep inside him urged him to abandon the idea of thrusting a sword into the woman's chest. Perhaps killing someone wasn't something he had decided he could do yet. Ring twisted and contorted violently, as if suffering a seizure.

"You truly are full of surprises," she groaned in pain. She could still speak, but her body refused to move. How did Hel render a Luminous completely useless? He wondered as he ran.

"How…?" Ring's voice was hoarse.

"How can a simple Blessen command a whole barrage of souls like that?" Without answering, because he honestly didn't know, Anadis hurled Ring out of the cave. Her body rolled into the creek. He spun on his heel and shouted, "Hel, make the runes close the entrance!" Hel popped out of Ring's body in her twinkling form, bobbing weakly in the air. The runes shimmered, and the entrance sealed itself shut." Why… didn't you kill her?" she asked.

"I didn't think I could even stab her," he admitted desperately.

"The body of a Luminous is incredibly durable, you know. Either way, what was that you did inside her body?"

"Similar to what I did to you…" Her voice was quieter than he'd ever heard it.

"When we first met. I phased in and destabilized her soul." A pause, as she gasped.

"On a grander scale. Also, I… changed the runes so the souls will instantly attack anyone who isn't you or me." She faded into his chest before he could say anything.

"Hel?"

"I'm not gone," she whispered.

"Just… quiet for a while. What I did, I could only do it once. I need to rest. Don't go outside."

"I understand." He waited, but she didn't respond. A heavy thud resounded as Ring punched the chasm wall. Once. Then a second time.

"I don't know what you did to me." Her chest heaved, and her eyes were going frantic, looking for him, but she obviously couldn't see him. To her, there was just a wall.

"But I'll wait right here until you come out." Whatever Hel had done had only lasted a second after she left Ring's body, and now Hel wouldn't even respond to him. He had a feeling that had been a one-time play. Another strike slammed against the entrance, making him wince.

"I guess I'm safe for now, but eventually I'll have to step out and deal with her." Sparing one last glance behind him to make sure the ophidian woman truly had no way back inside, Anadis walked deeper into Eljudnir.

"What now?" he muttered. He sat on the stone slab and pulled out the Thorn Crown. He understood there was only one thing left to do. Resting the Boon atop his head, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Do you accept this bond? Drawing a deep inhale, he whispered, "Yes." The pain hit him just a second later. This was not like bonding with Zoe's Curved Sword, which had felt willing and immediate—this was the complete opposite.

It felt as though the Thorn Crown wanted to tear him apart just for daring to attempt to bond with it. He was in agony as pain erupted like needles made of fire driven into his head. Then the pain went deeper and turned into something more absolute, as if his soul was being ripped apart at the seams and violently rewoven around a vast and ancient memory that had waited for centuries to be recognized. Anadis fell backward.

His head slammed against the stone slab, and the world as he had known it for thirteen years vanished.