I am Elion…
More weight pressed down on his shoulders. Whatever was speaking to him clearly didn't like his answer.
"No."
What do you mean, no?! I am Elion, or Rotten Sun, or Unraveling Light—whichever you like more.
"NO!"
His head felt like it was about to burst.
"WHO ARE YOU? HOW ARE YOU SPEAKING TO ME?"
The powerful intent slammed into him, threatening to shatter his mind like glass.
The Forgotten King—his… legacy.
It was a struggle to even finish the thought.
The pressure suddenly eased.
"The… who?"
Elion felt confusion ripple through the divine concept's thoughts—like it was trying to remember something it had lost.
"Forgotten… King?"
Yes… that's what allowed me to communicate with you.
"I see… so it was your ploy all along, huh."
The intent shifted, as if scrutinizing Elion.
"So, you are the mortal who uncovered his legacy… very well… I shall grant you what you seek."
Something in his mind stirred—something probing, searching for his deepest desire. It found it: the yearning to leave, to escape, and to find what he sought.
Elion's eyes opened slowly, divinity nestled within them.
"I have bestowed my guidance upon you," the divine presence said, fading. "I will be waiting for you—to fulfill your promise."
Wait, what promise?
But it was too late. The presence was gone.
Lumos was staring at him intently.
"I… talked to the divine concept," Elion said.
"You talked to it? That's not supposed to happen. Usually, when we ask for a blessing, it's granted or rejected—never a conversation," Lumos said, astonished.
"I did. And it felt like I was about to die."
The sorcerer narrowed his eyes.
"Could you… remove your mask?" he asked.
"Why?"
"I need to see your eyes."
"Lumos… I know you just lost the love of your life, but now's not the time to flirt," Elion said, jokingly.
The sorcerer stayed serious.
"I can feel something else coming from you," he replied, ignoring the snarky remark.
Elion sighed and removed the mask.
Lumos stared into his amber eyes—they now looked more like pools of molten gold.
"What is it?" Elion asked. "And don't tell me I'm crazy or not myself—I've had enough of that already."
"It's not that. There's divinity in your eyes," Lumos explained. "Something far more potent than any other affinity bearer—more than even the great families."
"So… that's good?"
"Well, it depends. Try to use it."
Elion closed his eyes, focusing on them. The divine power was drawn by his desires, and his desire was to get the fuck out of the Depths as fast as possible.
When he opened his eyes, the world was bathed in golden light. Even the darkness. Every surface was perfectly mapped out, as if he could sense the whole world at once.
A golden thread stretched from his sight into the world beyond, leading somewhere outside his vision. It looked torn from a greater structure—borrowed from his ability's visualization. But instead of chromatic light, this thread was forged—at least in part—from divine power.
The intent of the divine concept struck him—not suffocating, but deliberate, like a recorded message.
"This is my gift to you. Find what you are searching for and be free from the shackles of your soul."
"This thread…" Elion murmured.
His eyes narrowed, breath hitching.
He knew where it led.
"The First Finger…"
"What?"
"I know where it is," he said sharply.
Lumos frowned—then his eyes widened as he understood.
Elion sprinted back to where the others were preparing to leave, not even bothering to put his mask back on.
"Guys!" he panted. "I know where it is—the First Finger!"
They stared like he'd just spoken in another language.
Eshrod broke the silence.
"I hope this isn't one of your jokes, Eli."
He shook his head.
"No. I found the way."
Farha glared at him, looking into his eyes, clearly sensing something off. Being from a great family, she too could probably feel the divinity.
"What happened to your eyes?" she asked cautiously.
Elion's smile faltered slightly. He put his mask back on.
"Nothing important," he said dismissively. "What matters is we have a way to the First Finger."
"I presume you won't tell us how you know?" Eshrod asked.
"Nope."
She sighed.
"Lead the way, then…"
Kellta's flame lit the darkness as Elion followed the thread.
The landscape was truly twisted. Now that he could actually see it instead of just its shape with his ability, Elion realized what the Depths truly were. This wasn't something taken from the surface, that much was clear.
Twisting rock bridges sprawled above, wrapped in red vein-like vines. The jagged lines on the hanging vines looked like needles. The 'trees'—if they could even be called such—were thin, root-like tendrils twisting around the stone formation. They had grey ash-like bark and hypnotizing crimson leaves. Pulsing sacks of flesh clung to everything, like some parasitic growth.
It felt like walking into the hive of a disgusting blood-sucking monster.
The golden thread pulled left, through the scarlet hive, away from the river.
"You're sure it's that way?" Talom asked, looking around with a terrified expression.
"It is. Stay quiet—we don't know what might lurk here," Elion replied.
Kellta studied the surroundings with rapt attention. Since she was the light bearer—she walked at the center of the formation. There did not seem to be any natural lighting in that cave. At least, none powerful enough to allow the group to travel without her flames.
"This place…" she muttered. "It reminds me of the legend of the city of Erika."
"What about it?" Elion whispered, trying to avoid noise as much as possible.
"It fell during the great siege—overrun by monsters, they say."
"Still the case today?"
"It's just a legend to scare children… but if we're truly here, I really hope they were only legends."
"But the city was real?"
She nodded.
Then that's where the First Finger must be.
"Alright. I'll keep an eye out," Elion said, activating his ability.
Chromatic light filled his vision. They were overwhelming—like every lichen, every vine, and every tree was part of the same organism. All pointing towards the same direction: where the golden thread was heading.
Not ominous at all.
A flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye—fast, almost invisible.
He gestured for the group to stop, studying his surroundings with practiced eyes.
The affinity to Guidance and Direction allowed him to sense all space surrounding him with a lot more precision. Without it, there would have been no way to sense the movement just now. And no way to sense what was about to happen.
"Duck!" he shouted, diving to the ground.
An arcing blade tore past, gouging the stone. If he hadn't reacted fast enough, Elion would have been cleaved in half. By the looks of things, everyone did manage to evade the attack due to his timely warning.
"Behind you, Eshrod!" he called.
Something fell from the twisted bridges of stone above. It lashed its long limbs at the Gremlin. They cracked the air like whips. She grabbed it barehanded, only for it to wrap around her fist and sink tiny needles into her blackened skin. Even with her ability, the things managed to pierce her skin, making her let out a sharp yelp.
Farha, who was standing the closest to Eshrod, dashed, her sword flashing to cut the scarlet tentacle wrapped around the Gremlin's fist. Her blade didn't even leave a mark on the crimson tendril.
The limb still snapped back, but not from her cut. Veins of black liquid pulsed along its length, carrying Eshrod's blood like poison.
"My blood doesn't taste so good, huh," she snarled, black blood dripping from her palm.
A dark mass of flesh plopped down from the ceiling. As the Voice of God whispered its Class, Elion's eyes widened in horror.
[Class: V]