‘Percy should take the ring first. It would be nice if he could give Sol a go after he is done. Then, we can return it to the lake.’ Doh said, getting a nod from Latt.
‘What about you?’ Percy asked, finding this a little too easy.
The Green-born shook his head before elaborating.
‘If it was just an inanimate object, I wouldn’t have minded bringing it home and sharing it with the other Green-borns. The extra boost could help us protect our country. But I don’t want to disrespect Lord Zoris’s wishes, and I can’t guarantee the others will be willing to let the ring go. I also can’t justify being the only one to get the blessing. It would just be hypocritical of me.’
‘What about me? Why should I get a go?’ Sol asked.
‘Many reasons.’ Doh said. ‘First, you don’t have a proper trait. Not that yours is bad, but you can’t even do anything with it unless Percy can pick up your signal. It would be nice if you could obtain more means of protecting yourself. After all, you are easily the most important person on Melodia right now. You are our sole connection to Percy, and the only one who knows the complete Dance. You have to survive at all costs.’
Percy felt some heat gather on his host’s cheeks, but he didn’t disagree with the Green-born’s assessment of her in the slightest. He still wasn’t sure he deserved to get the ring first though.
‘Wouldn’t it be more practical for Sol to hold it for now?’ he asked. ‘It might help you return home.’
‘It won’t. Lord Zoris made it clear she shouldn’t absorb another trait until she internalizes the blessing. We’ll be back a lot sooner than that. The only benefit would be protecting her from the fiends, but there won’t be this many once we leave the lake. Her boosting art and the runes you’ve carved for us are plenty for that.’
‘You’re the one who caught the ring. None of us would have managed without you.’ Latt pitched in. ‘You should go first. It’s the least we can do to thank you.’
‘You understand you risk losing the ring forever, right? I might die before I can return it. If not while leaving Melodia, I might get killed back home.’ Percy said.
While he’d done everything he could to defeat the Holy Child, he was under no delusion that it would be an easy fight. It would be irresponsible of him to not inform the Melodians of the dangers.
‘It’s not like our journey will be any safer. Just like you, we’ve done everything to raise our odds, but whether we’ll succeed remains to be seen.’
‘What about you, Zoris? Are you okay with this arrangement?’
‘Sure, why not. I was very much looking forward to taking a pointless roundtrip through the cloud of fiends, only to spend some time on a lesser spring teeming with greedy gods, away from my research.’ the god replied, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
Then, he sighed, assuming a more serious tone.
‘But whatever… To be honest, I thought I was done the moment you captured me. The fact that you’re willing to let me go once I’ve given the blessing to a couple of people is better than I had expected. As for the fiends? Well, you did break through the blockade three times already with Orange mana and without even knowing what you were up against, so I suppose we’ll be fine… You’ll owe me one after this, however.’
Percy didn’t attempt the trip until two days later. He wanted to practice his spells with Sol a few more times, and to ensure that everyone got a proper rest before leaving them to their fate.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Zoris even guided Doh into applying a barrier around Percy’s wisp – not too dissimilar to what Sol’s father had done for him the last time he was here. None of the Melodians in the group was that familiar with that school of magic, but it wasn’t that complicated a spell, apparently. The Green-born had volunteered to cast it, as his mana was by far the densest. He’d even used the ring to augment it with the blessing.
Next, he’d passed the artifact to Sol, who also fed her mana through it. The conversion efficiency was poor, but it didn’t matter, as she had a lot more mana than Percy could fit into his wisp anyway. She helped him pump his soul full of Yellow mana. Sadly, Doh couldn’t assist him with this part, as Percy wouldn’t be able to attach his willpower to the Green mana without access to the man’s core.
By the time they were done, Percy’s wisp was a veritable fortress of soul mana – a grey orb about the size of a grapefruit thrumming with Yellow mana, encased in a slippery shell a grade higher. Inside his soul, a dull grey ring was floating.
Percy had considered storing it inside his spatial seal, but he wasn’t sure it was possible, as it possessed a soul of its own. Even if he could do it, he didn’t want to leave Zoris trapped in there, in case he perished.
‘Sol, remember to use your trait regularly once you return home. I won’t be able to find you otherwise.’ he said, getting a nod back.
One mystery they had yet to solve with any certainty, was why he had failed to detect her signal for so long. Whatever the exact reason was, they guessed it would be much easier the next time. Sol now had a second core and a stronger soul. Not to mention the Dance, pushing her strength to the next level. Meanwhile, Percy would be advancing to Yellow soon, and his boosting art was also more potent. Whether it was the sender or the recipient of the signal who mattered the most, it shouldn’t take as long to establish another link.
He wished everyone good luck with the fights to come, as the Melodians thanked him for all his help. Then, he finally severed his connection to his host, his soul ablaze with determination.
He would survive. They both would, and then he’d bring her the ring back. A couple years’ worth of Aurora Dew too, hopefully. Not enough for her to share with her people, or for her to drink forever, but at least to get her cores to Green.
Sol was more than his cherished friend.
She was also his only access point to the Mirror Lake. The Elemental Source had already helped him tremendously, and he might need it again in the future. Of course, he’d never dare reveal its existence to anyone, let alone using it as a bargaining chip against the gods. The Melodians deserved better than that.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t use it to train his own magic.
Suffice to say, extending the girl’s lifespan and giving her an even louder voice among her people was a no-brainer. Eventually, it would be nice if he could establish an alternative means of reaching the planet though. If he was to truly reach godhood one day, the Mirror Lake would be an indispensable asset.
Alas, this was an issue for later.
Right now, he had to defend himself against the hungry swarm that piled upon him with even greater fury than the last couple of times. Was it just bad luck, or was it the ring hidden in his soul that attracted the fiends?
He didn’t know, but he hadn’t made it this far to get eaten by the creatures.
Doh’s barrier helped a lot. It fended off many more attacks than Mi’s had and it had yet to shatter. But the fiends kept coming. This time, Percy counted over twenty attempts to breach his defences. Gritting his non-existent teeth, he prepared some of the Yellow mana, ready to unleash a burst of needles on the first fiend to attack after his shell was gone.
That moment never came, however.
In the end, the attacks grew less frequent, halting entirely while the shield was still up. Percy waited patiently, unwilling to let his guard down until he was certain he was in the clear. More minutes passed as he drifted through the endless darkness. He had probably travelled a monumental distance already, his main body pulling him faster than ever before. Only then did he allow himself to relax a little, guessing he’d made it out.
‘It was overkill anyway.’ Zoris suddenly said. ‘Honestly, the fiends aren’t that dangerous… If you aren’t a mortal at Orange, or a ring without a mana core…’
Percy felt the urge to chuckle, knowing his new friend was right. Despite all his gains over the years, he was still weak. To the true forces standing at the peak of the universe, he was an asset at best, much like Zoris. At worst, he was a bug that could be squashed under one’s thumb.
But there was no doubt he had improved a lot too. Before discovering his bloodline, he hadn’t even been able to fight against a Red goblin. By the time he escaped the Alchemists’ Guild, he had been able to hold his own against any Yellow on Remior. Before leaving Bogside Town, he’d slain a couple of Greens.
‘And soon, I’ll take down my first Blue.’
On top of that, he had several avenues to continue growing stronger – courtesy of his clones. A blessing, two new spectral traits, and whatever he and Micky could achieve together after they got rid of the crow’s oppressor. There was also his ongoing project with the mana threads, and his ambitious goal of claiming a wasp egg.
Percy would have grinned if he had a mouth.
‘I wonder how easy it’ll be to squash me… a couple more years from now.’