Chapter 97 - The Porcelain Bottle

“A God of Fate...” Argus considered Yuzu’s suggestion as he shook his head with hesitation. “I have never heard of a God of Fate, the ancient texts I’ve read do not mention any sort of entity. Even demigods in the Domain of Fate are exceptionally rare. And while items in the Fate Domain certainly exist, they are all generally low rank.”

Argus nodded to himself. “I have no idea whether there really is an entity pulling the strings behind the scenes. I was merely making idle conjectures.”

“There is one thing I’m certain about, though. The answers to our questions lie within that chest.”

Yuzu nodded, “Where do we start?”

“There are three major obstacles to retrieving the chest from the Aetheric Plane.” Argus said, counting on his fingers, “First, you need a method to enter the aetheric plane. Second, you need to be able to locate the chest and travel to it. Third, you need to be wary of the entity behind the door to not succumb to its influence.”

“Regarding the first obstacle, we are actually in luck.” Argus said, “You’ve already shown that you can enter the aetheric plane without the chest.”

“Didn’t you tell me before that a Candidate wasn’t able to do that?” Yuzu asked skeptically.

“I did.” A small grin curled at the edge of Argus’ lips at her question, “But you are not a Candidate anymore.”

Yuzu frowned, meeting Argus’ gaze as she tried to discern what he was saying.

“You should have noticed that your connection to Fate has grown stronger since the last time we met. When I held your hand just now, I instantly discovered the change. You’ve advanced to Apprentice.”

“Is that... good?” Yuzu asked. She recalled the moment in the white world when she had nearly been completely unraveled into threads. At that moment she had felt a distinct change in the nature of her body, as if she had become more compatible with the energies of the chest. So that was advancing...?

“Good is subjective...” Argus said, “Certainly many Exalted make it their life goal to rise as high as they can on their Path. But with power comes risks. Everything you gain in the Exalted realm comes at a cost.”

“In any case, for the purpose of saving your life, it’s good that you’ve advanced. Your compatibility with the aetheric plane has increased, meaning the requirements to enter it are less stringent. In addition, there is your connection with the shrine in the forest to consider.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Yuzu nodded, her eyes dropping as she fell into thought, “On the chest, there was a crest on the top of the lid, and the same symbol appeared on the shrine in the white world. Maybe there’s a connection?”

“I agree. When you were called into the white world by your friend’s prayers, it was also due to your connection to the shrine. This shrine is likely our key to entering the aetheric plane.” Argus nodded, “Perhaps we should pay a visit to it. I would like to see it in person.”

“Assuming we can enter the plane with this method, that leads us to the second question. How to find the chest. Fortunately, I already have the necessary capability.” Argus pulled out a golden pocket watch whose face was engraved with constellations. Yuzu recognized it as the astralabe that he had used to open the door to the ancient library.

“This astralabe is a unique artifact that was created by Okuron. Its special property is that when presented with a piece of incomplete knowledge it can divine the time and location with which one can obtain the missing information.”

He closed his eyes and channeled some of his spiritual energy into the clock-like device. The engraved lines of the constellations on its face lit up with a subtle soft blue glow as the three delicate looking hands began to spin in various directions. Argus observed the movement of the hands, which spun seemingly in arbitrary motions, often switching directions or pausing at various spots. Around the edges of the circular face were two pairs of dials that had strange symbols and numbers. Yuzu watched the astralabe work, unable to discern what was happening.

After a while the light faded and Argus set the astralabe down on the table nodding. “As expected, it is deep in the aetheric plane. Once we enter the plane we will be able to use the astralabe as a compass to guide us.”

“The third obstacle is the one that worries me.” Argus said, his eyes darkening. “Dealing with the mysterious entity at the bottom of the aetheric plane.”

“That entity... Do you know what it is? How did it control me?” Yuzu asked, “When it told me to open the door, it was like I lost complete control of my body. I started activating the runes on the door without even knowing how or what I was doing.”

Argus stroked his chin, his eyebrows furrowing in thought, “I recall reading legends about a demon who was imprisoned in the aetheric plane in the previous era, during a heavenly war several thousand years ago. This evil king of demons was such a threat to the world that the gods and demons allied together to defeat him. However they were unable to kill him and so instead sealed him in the depths of the Aetheric Plane next to the River of Life.”

“Living beings that get too close to the river of life get washed away, turning into the life energy that flows through the entire planet. Chained to the banks, this demon king has to use all his strength to avoid being erased from the world.”

Argus pinched the bridge of his nose as he recalled this information, “This legend has already disappeared from the world. The existence of the demon king has been long forgotten. However in texts from the Domain of Life written during the War of Five Kings, they speak of the dangers deep within the aetheric plane, warning their members not to delve too deeply, lest they face corruption. This seems to correlate with the mysterious existence that you faced.”

“If it’s forgotten, how do you know about it?” Yuzu asked.

“Mm... I don’t know.” Argus said softly, “If you asked me about this topic three days ago, I wouldn’t have been aware of it. But the soul shard that I merged with remembers this legend. I spent the majority of my recovery period these last three days sorting through the memories and knowledge that came with the soul shard. Much of it I am still remembering...”

He nodded thoughtfully, “With the soul shard I’ve also gained a deeper understanding of the layout of Okuron’s Library. There is a section deep in the Stacks that I think would contain information relating to this entity. Unfortunately, the new moon has passed. I won’t be able to enter it again until the next new moon.”

“We can’t wait that long.” Yuzu frowned.

“I agree, but we must be careful. We cannot risk being controlled by the entity behind the door and releasing it from its prison. Despite being sealed it clearly can affect the space behind the door. It’s possible that it could obtain the chest on its own given enough time - or perhaps it already has.”

Argus sighed, shaking his head, “I will need to reach out to my contacts and look for a solution. Something that can protect against corruption and mind control effects. I’ll also try finding out more information about the demon himself.”

Argus paused, looking at Yuzu quietly for a moment without saying anything. Yuzu had drifted off in a daze, not realizing that the conversation had come to a pause.

After a moment Argus stood up from the table, walking over to the wall of cabinets. “I suppose there is one more thing that we need to address. Your current condition is dangerously fragile. Before we even attempt the other steps we need to strengthen your spirit.”

He retrieved a small key from his pocket and inserted it into a small hole in one of the cabinet doors. It turned smoothly and he opened the door, pulling out a small, slender jar.

This elegant looking jar appeared to be made of pure white porcelain. Its smooth surface was unblemished and glossy. It had a small ceramic lid that fit snugly in its slim neck that flared out slightly at the top.

Argus sat back down at the table, passing it over to Yuzu who picked it up carefully. It fit snugly in her hand, so small that even if it was full it would only be able to fill half of a tea cup.

A soft aura of life radiated out of the bottle, and Yuzu realized she could see a faint black aura around it.

“What is this?” Yuzu asked, frowning.

“This is one of the relics that I found in Okuron’s library, two years ago. Like all the relics from the library, this one is cursed. Fortunately, its negative effects are not serious.” Argus said, “It is a jar that can be infused with energy, which it condenses into a nectar of life-aspected aether. For someone whose aetheric body is constantly being drained, I believe this will be able to serve as a temporary solution.”

“Life-aspect…” Yuzu muttered softly, cautiously removing the top of the jar and lifting it to her nose to take a gentle whiff. A soft fresh scent could barely be sensed at the lip of the jar, Yuzu frowned as she felt a tinge of recognition. “This jar has the same feeling as the energy from the devileye plants.”

“Indeed. They are both from the Demonic Domain of Life.” Argus nodded, raising an eyebrow at her, ”I’m surprised you are able to sense it. To most Exalted there would be nothing peculiar about this jar at all.”

“If it’s Demonic, doesn’t that make it dangerous?”

“Ah, you’re worried about the word Demonic? Don’t be fooled by the name. The divine kingdoms are not inherently good or evil. However, there is an inherent danger in using a demonic aspected item, especially for Exalted attuned to the Kingdom of Gods such as you and I.” Argus said. “Fortunately, the danger in this case is not too great, as long as you don’t use it too much. Certainly it would be better to use the jar and deal with the consequences than wither up and die from your condition.”

“When you’re feeling weak, drinking a third of the bottle should stabilize your condition. After drinking from the flask you should rest in order to absorb the aspected aether and convert it safely. If you sustain injuries or are particularly drained you can drink another third.” He thought for a moment and nodded, “Under no circumstances should you drink the entire bottle at once, unless you want to die a painful death.”

“There’s one more thing.” Argus said, “As I mentioned before, the relics inside of Okuron’s library have all been corrupted. Fortunately, this jar’s curse is fairly mild. The more you drink from the jar, the more it will numb your tastebuds. Eventually, you won’t be able to taste anything anymore.”

Hearing all this, Yuzu set down the bottle on the table and pushed it towards Argus. A feeling of uneasiness filled her as she considered the danger of drinking from the elegant bottle. “Isn’t there another way to solve my condition?”

“There’s always another way... But no matter what, it will come with a cost.” Argus said, pushing the jar back towards Yuzu, “Keep this with you for now so that you can maintain your strength. I will look for another solution in the meantime.”

“Okay.” Yuzu said, hesitantly picking up the bottle. She replaced the lid and placed it in the inner pocket of her coat.

“The jar is not limitless. It will passively absorb the aether in its surroundings, but this rate is far too slow to be of use to you. We also need a way to keep it filled- But I have an idea for that as well.” Argus said, standing up, “To confirm this, we need to visit the shrine.”

Yuzu nodded, “It’s in the woods, we’ll have to take a carriage and then walk the rest of the way.”

The ten year old boy pocketed the astrolabe as he gestured towards the door, “I’ll let you lead the way.”