I cast a hollow, spherical construct towards it, but it broke apart under the pressure of the collapsing core.
Ysevel, who quickly appeared to my left, tried again with us, this time managing to subdue it, but I could feel it wouldn't last. "What the fuck do we do now?" I asked, pushing more and more mana towards it. The three of us did what we could, but nothing seemed to quell the broken core's collapse.
"I… I don't know," Kalia struggled to say, pushing out as much mana as she could. "Is there anything we can do?" Ysevel grunted, pouring out more mana than Kalia and I combined.
I thought of everything I knew about cores and their properties I'd learned from my time in Codrean, but nothing remotely useful came to mind. I looked around for anything we could use to contain it, but even Ardrin seemed at a loss for words.
I guess this is it, then. At least we stopped him from getting back, but it looks like this might be the end for us, I sent Ysevel and Kalia through gritted teeth. They both looked at me with a mixture of confusion and fear. I'm sorry. I tried to stop him, but I didn't think this was even a possibility, I mentally sighed at my own foolishness.
"Don't be sorry. We always knew dying was a possibility," Ysevel said aloud, her voice warm and understanding. "She's right, but I didn't think it would be like this," Kalia nodded toward the growing chaosphere before us. "It was an honor, you two. Thank you… for everything," Kalia looked at us with tears welling in her eyes.
No further words needed to be exchanged. We already knew what she meant by her words.
Nexis' shattering core swelled with power, creating a bright ring of light around its edges. I could tell that whatever happened next would spell the end for us here; maybe even the entire Underworld. As the three of us hugged each other and waited for death, the portal at the far end of the Hall shone brightly as a silhouette of a large man stood veiled in the portal's violet mana.
We sensed the figure as it stepped through, but then again, it was hard not to.
Who, better yet, what is that? Kalia asked. Neither of us had an answer, but as the figure stepped through the remainder of the portal, I understood the real reason Ardrin had given us those tinctures. The small shield around my own core strained and flexed inwardly under the pressure, forcing the three of us to our knees.
It's a Warden, Kalia froze when she realized, feeling the immense pressure of his mana nearly overwhelm the three of us entirely. How did he know to come here? I asked, watching as he stepped lightly and calmly towards the chaotic storm of Nexis' destroyed core. It's who Ardrin was trying to contact through the runes on the portal, but Nexis had changed the configuration just enough to pose a challenge, Ysevel noted.
Sneaky bastard, I replied, struggling to keep my eyes focused on the figure before us.
His long, golden hair radiated mana I couldn't identify, while what little I could see of his irises was a pure yet radiant gray with thick blue streaks of mana swirling within them. He wore a black shirt of an unrecognizable material that stuck closely to his torso, accentuating his strong build with a tight metallic belt around his waist that secured loosely fitting trousers.
His shoes, I realized, were more like tight slippers than anything else I could think of, but they, like the rest of his attire, radiated an unknown mana signature.
He glanced at the surrounding chaos momentarily, likely piecing together what happened. Without another word, he outstretched his hand and encased the collapsing core without any visible effort. The pressure it emanated reduced to nothing, though the last hints of its mana still permeated the air.
"Did you do this?" he turned to me, his voice resonating through the hall like honey on a warm piece of bread. "I-I did, my lord, but I didn't realize that was going to happen," I replied shakily, unsure how to address him correctly. There was no change in his expression or demeanor, only an overwhelming sense of power that no one present could ignore.
"I see. You did well to reveal this to us, Ardrin," the Warden said over his shoulder, then fully turned to look at the runic portal. "A complicated structure intended to hide his passage from us," the Warden subtly lifted his eyebrows. "How did you manage to counter it?" he asked.
"I had the hegraphenes who have been under his tyrannical thumb for millennia help me. It wasn't easy, lord, but I'm glad you could make it on time," Ardrin bowed gratefully. "Yes," the Warden said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
"It would seem you have put an end to a catastrophe that would have caused the collapse of your Realm. For that, you have my thanks," he fully turned toward me, putting a hand across his chest and slightly tilting his head as he reduced his overwhelming aura.
We breathed in deeply as if a horse had been lifted from our chests. I did what I could to quickly return the gesture, not because I didn't have anything to say, but I feared the look of surprise on my face would have made that moment worthless. "I only did what I was trained to do, lord," I adjusted his title to match what Ardrin had said.
He seems to know more about the Wardens than I ever could, I noted, hoping my thought had remained private in the presence of this being from another Realm.
As I rose from my bow, I noticed there was a hint of either curiosity or pride in his powerful gaze that I couldn't quite figure out which it was. Before he said anything else, he turned his attention back to the shattered core and closed his fist. The mana he had encased around the angry sphere of Nexis' core quickly shrunk and turned into what I could best describe as a black pearl.
The pearl floated in the air towards him before he grabbed it out of the air and held it above his golden bracelet. Within the time it took to blink, I watched the band absorb the pearl like it never existed before, subsiding the remaining pressure it exuded as he did so.
My eyes widened when I realized it was the same kind of magic as the famed Benevolent Ring, which was currently in Aurae's possession.
"You have all done something extraordinary, but some of you do not belong to this Realm. As the Warden of this Realm, and as a token of my gratitude for stopping this from escalating further, I will gladly return you to your home," he glanced between Ysevel and I, his eyes seeing more than just whatever was in front of him.
Extraordinary even to someone like him? I sent Ysevel and Kalia, who could offer only mental shrugs in return.
"Thank you, lord," Ysevel and I bowed gratefully. "Of course. Is there anything else you need before we return?" he asked, his voice holding no hint of any hidden agenda. "Well, there is one thing I would like to ask my mentor, if it's not too much trouble, lord," I said with as much humility as I could muster. "Go on, Thoma," his mention of my name when I hadn't told him confirmed my earlier suspicions.
How much can he really see? I asked myself, but quickly dismissed the thought.
I turned to Kalia, who could now stand without much support from me after the Warden's pressure had subsided. She was still shaky from the blow she received from Nexis, but her strength was never to be questioned.
"Come with us," I smiled, but my eyes were expectant and full of hope that she would accept the request. Hers, however, opened widely in surprise. "I-I don't think…" she cut herself off, feeling the Warden's gaze weighing on her.
"You can go if you want to, but if you wish to return, you will have to find your own way back, though I suspect Ardrin will be able to assist you with that," the Warden nodded subtly.
I could feel a mixture of elation and anxiety stream through our connection. I didn't have to ask her why, given that she had her entire clan to look after, let alone her worries about leaving Devyr behind.
She quietly considered the question, but just before she answered, the Warden spoke up. "Your clan will be alright without you and your daughter. Now that we can finally lift the blockade surrounding this realm, it will be much easier to keep the peace in your stead in return for what you all have done here," he lifted a hand to prevent whatever words he'd read in her mind from being spoken aloud.
Kalia's eyes began to fill with tears, silently nodding her agreement, then bowing respectfully. "Thank you, Warden," her voice cracked weakly. The smallest hint of a smile came across the Warden's face before he extended and joined his fingers, slicing them across the open air before him. A white portal with thick streaks of blue mana opened as he finished his strike, catching the three of us by surprise.
"These altered hegraphenes will take care of your clan in your stead. I will guide them and make sure they uphold your standards. Now come, I'm sure Thoma's and Ysevel's families are anxious to be reunited with them," he motioned for us to move toward the swirling white portal.
As we walked together, he pulled three white pearls from the band on his wrist and handed one to each of us. "These will help you grow stronger. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future," he nodded. "W-We're honored, lord," I stammered, feeling the surge of an unknown mana radiating warmly in the palm of my hand. "Please, call me Erumon," he gave me a thin smile.
It took me a moment to consider the value of what he'd just given me, but I sure as shit didn't know just how valuable this entire interaction had been at the time.
"Irun, Athar. Bring Devyr over here. We're going home," I called out, waving them over to us. Athar gingerly picked the hegraphene up, surprising all of us as their kataki armor made them weigh well over twice what their size would make one guess.
Still, he carried her over like a parent would a sleeping child, giving Kalia a nod, which she returned in kind. "Ready to meet our mothers?" Ysevel asked with a chuckle. "Probably not," Kalia sighed, realizing what she'd gotten herself into.
"Don't worry; I wasn't either," I winked at her before taking Ysevel's hand and stepping through the portal.