The Bioluminescent Manta Ray moved through the air at a slower, steadier pace this time, as if acknowledging the strain its passengers had endured. The group was scattered across its smooth, glowing surface, their bodies slumped from the exhaustion of their journey.
Vastarael lay near the front, his golden eyes dim, his usually calm features softened by the weight of fatigue. His essence had been nearly depleted during the chaotic teleportation and the battle with the Verdarite, leaving him feeling hollow.
But the Omniphage, his unique Tether to absorb energy, was active again, and although it restored his essence at a much faster rate, it couldn't stop the exhaustion from gripping him. His chest rose and fell slowly, trying to heal the deep weariness that marked him.
Farrynelle lay nearby. Her breathing was shallow as she stared up at the sky, trying to regain some of her strength. Her wounds weren't as severe, but the toll of the teleportation had left her disoriented, her body stiff from the shock. The second they left the island, the peonies stopped blooming. They puked flower petals and vines and it wasn't a pleasant sight.
It was agonizing.
Xander was hunched over, hands gripping the manta ray's surface as he fought the dizzying waves of nausea. Despite his tough exterior, the teleportation had taken its toll on him too. He clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the overwhelming need to rest, but the discomfort was evident in the tightness of his features.
Narisva was laying with her eyes half-closed, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon. She had been mostly quiet, but the strain of the teleportation and the preceding battles were evident in her weary posture. Still, she refused to show weakness, though the edge of her sharpness had softened, and she allowed herself a rare moment of vulnerability, letting the manta ray's motion soothe her.
Vastarael could feel the slow return of his strength but it wasn't enough to push aside the mental exhaustion. His thoughts kept drifting back to the urgency of the situation. They were in a race against time, with Narisva and the others trapped within that horrible tree, but even the knowledge of that didn't lift the crushing weight from his body.
His brain worked in overdrive that he even had to use his essence on his brain for faster cognition. He learned how to do this with Adelasta, who as used to it all the time without effort.
Now, his mental and physical condition were exhausted. Also, he still was fatigued from fighting three thousand Sunderers.
Out of all of them, only Phaenora and Shimmer were fine. Somehow.
"Once again, you proved yourself to be the Ingenious Prince," Phaenora commented with a smirk. "Whenever you start with a strange theory, I know that you're going to do something crazy."
Vastarael gave her a small, almost imperceptible smirk. His gaze shifted back to the island, which was barely recognizable. The Verdarite, or rather, the twisted embodiment of a once-noble race, was not visible. Despite the tension, he could almost feel the weight of its gloating presence, as if it knew it had them cornered.
"I didn't plan to do anything crazy, Phaenora But what else was I supposed to do? Sit there and wait for it to crush us? Besides, we don't have time to second guess."
Vastarael closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts. He wasn't fooling himself. The Verdarite might have appeared overconfident, but it was still a dangerous foe, one that commanded the peony-filled plant life in this cursed place. But seeing Narisva, Xander, and Farrynelle trapped inside the tree? That was a priority he couldn't let slip.
The girl—Shimmer—was standing quietly by his side, her eyes wide, still uncomprehending but somehow unshaken. Vastarael's heart ached as he realized how much of a child she truly was, caught in a world far beyond her control.
"I have drained my essence twice. I think I'm meant to suffer—"
He saw a hologram appearing in front of him.
[You have completed an Hidden Side Quest: Escape the Island of Peony!]
"The hell?"
Phaenora noticed it as well and made the hologram's details clearer.
_______
[Hidden Side Quest: Escape the Island of Peony!]
[Difficulty: Impossible!]
[You were granted a mark during the solar eclipse. This mark was a Crimson Curtain Peony, which is a special plant from Dimensium, the world of the Krepsunas.]
[Conditions.]
[1. Use your essence to fully charge the mark.]
[2. Survive in the Island of Peony for less than 24 hours. Time taken: 18 hours.]
[3. Survive the Corrupted Crimson Verdarite. (Optional)]
[All conditions fulfilled.]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked an Overwrite Seed!]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked a new minor Codex!]
[Congratulations! You have received a new Base Tether from the Epoch itself!]
[Congratulations! You have received the favor of the Epoch Cycle!]
[Congratulations! Your Codex, The Ingenious Prince, has been enhanced! You can now use less energy in summoning it!]
[Congratulations! You have received a Hidden Reward from the Epoch Cycle, the Primofrost's Snowflake!]
[Congratulations! Your physical body goes stronger!]
_____
Vastarael stared at the hologram in front of him, his eyes wide. His mind was still trying to process what had just happened. He could feel the overwhelming confusion gnawing at him as Phaenora's voice cut through the surreal atmosphere.
"What the hell is this?" Vastarael muttered under his breath, still in disbelief.
Phaenora was equally taken aback. She furrowed her brows and poked at the hologram's details, trying to make sense of it.
"I don't know, but... it looks like you just finished some... crazy side quest? A Hidden Side Quest? What even is that?"
Vastarael's gaze shifted between the hologram and Phaenora, his mind spinning.
"I don't... I didn't even ask for this. It wasn't even my choice!"
He shook his head, still trying to wrap his head around it.
The words Hidden Side Quest echoed in his mind and he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and unease. What was this nonsense?
Phaenora, trying to make sense of it too, sighed deeply.
"The Epoch Cycle has a mind of its own now? I mean, what kind of game is this? The Epoch Cycle? Is that what this is?"
Vastarael's eyes widened as he processed that question.
"Wait—are you telling me… the Epoch Cycle can talk to us now? Is it... sentient?"
That was... too much to take in. They had already heard the world's voice and now the Epoch Cycle was alive?
Phaenora leaned back against the bioluminescent manta ray, taking a long breath.
"I don't know, but if it is, we've probably been under its thumb this whole time. Which means we're probably being watched right now. EPOCH already is, after all."
"Great," Vastarael said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he threw his arms up in the air. "Just... great. As if the island wasn't enough of a nightmare already. Now we have some cosmic game on our hands."
He paused, then looked at the rewards listed on the hologram.
"Wait—Crimson Peonies? Overwrite Seed?! What... the hell did I even do to get all this?"
Phaenora stared at the list for a moment before letting out a low whistle.
"I don't even know what half of this means. Overwrite Seed? It sounds like we just got something way too important for people like us. Is it because it was an impossible quest?"
Vastarael ran a hand through his white curls, a look of mild disbelief crossing his features.
"Yeah, like those are gonna help us get off this cycle... If we even can get off. I'm just wondering how we're supposed to survive the rest of this... or what is going to happen next."
They both fell into an awkward silence, the absurdity of the situation hanging over them like a heavy cloud. The bioluminescent manta ray underneath them gently shifted its wings, adding to the strange stillness that had settled in.
"So," Vastarael said, breaking the silence with an attempt at levity. "If the Epoch Cycle is really watching us... what do you think it's getting out of all this?"
Phaenora snorted, her lips curling into a half-smile.
"Oh, probably just getting a laugh. Or maybe it wants to see if we can survive long enough to stop the apocalypse... or something equally dramatic."
Vastarael chuckled dryly, "Knowing us, probably something more dramatic. So, what now? We just keep playing its little game until it decides we've suffered enough?"
"Maybe," Phaenora said with a shrug. "We do have the Primofrost's Snowflake and a few unknowns now. Might as well use them, even if we have no idea how they work. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky."
Vastarael smiled faintly, a tinge of hope peeking through his exhaustion.
"Luck's never been on our side, but we might as well try. Let's focus on getting to the Halo Islands next. I have a nasty feeling that if we pass it, we are going to die."
"Same. Let's hope..."
"Wait a second. Hey! Isn't that Peccavi?"
The two of them turned to face Farrynelle, who was at the edge of the manta, pointing at the ocean. Vastarael and Phaenora used their advanced vision to look deeper downward.
They saw a small raft in the middle of the ocean with four beings on it.
"They made it through. They survived."