Jack agreed to work as Helbiel’s agent in against the enemy in order to reconcile his violations of the W.R.L.D. Protocol. He wasn’t thrilled about what was effectively conscription but when the other options were death or having the Blue Heart ripped out of him, it wasn’t so bad.

Following their agreement, he sat on the ground with his legs crossed as he listened to Helbiel’s words. Her clear voice cut through the myriad of distracting questions and confusing emotions that clustered his thoughts. He wanted to ask her more about so many things but she was adamant that they proceed. She hinted that the time-stop had some sort of cost based on how long it was maintained so he didn’t argue.

“I’ll save you the time and tell you that you’ll need to convert six hundred and sixty-six thousand six hundred and sixty-seven Eidos to advance the Blue Heart from Phase Two to Three. The maturation process to Phase Two will be very painful but it won’t take nearly as long as the initialization.” Jack suppressed a shiver. He didn’t think Helbiel was prone to exaggeration. She continued, “Once the Blue Heart reaches Phase Three, I will give you a brief period to collect yourself and then, your battle will begin.”

It was an oddly specific amount of Eidos but given her claim about past Bonds, he decided to trust her. The Eidos to Logos conversion rate probably improved at Phase Two. Opening his World Core Status, he converted another fifty thousand Eidos into Logos to bring his Logos total to ten thousand. Immediately, he received a prompt and a small hint of excitement from the Blue Heart.

[The Blue Heart is ready to advance to Phase 2 of its maturation. Initiate advancement? Y/N]

He selected yes bracing himself for the incoming pain. At first, nothing happened. He glanced at Helbiel, ready to ask her about it, yet a heartbeat stopped the words in his throat. His heart pulsed louder than he’d ever heard it, practically pounding in his ears. He began to feel lightheaded as the familiar whir of the Blue Heart joined the sound of his pulse. His veins swelled pushing against his flesh to create webs of dark lines across his body. His blood burned with an intensity unlike before and he hunched over sucking in a deep gasp. Blood trailed from his nostrils and hissed on contact with the ground. He stared at the blood for a second in surprise. It was glowing.

Clenching his jaw, he rolled his shoulders as though he were shrugging off the pain. It didn’t work; however, he acclimated enough to speak after a few minutes. He looked up at Helbiel again and grunted out a question.

“What’s… happening… with my… blood?” Helbiel arched a finely trimmed eyebrow. She likely hadn’t expected him to be capable of speech because of the pain. He chuckled. “Surprised… This is nothing… lady. I can take it.”

“Noted,” she said with a cold, matter-of-fact tone. The corner of her mouth twitched again and despite himself, Jack winced, somehow feeling the taunt would come back to bite him later. “Your blood glows for the same reason that your body experiences pain during the Blue Heart’s advancement. At present, the Blue Heart is changing your body from the inside out, assimilating it for the purpose it must serve. A bonded World Core uses the Logos provided for its maturation to fuel this transformation. This has some drawbacks, one of which you discovered with this Eternal Light’s Embrace, but on the whole, it will be a significant improvement to your bodily function and make you a better conduit for Logos. That said, concentrated pure Logos is dangerous; most organisms and inorganic matter can’t handle it making it making it toxic and caustic. During the maturation process, the World Core injects Logos into the body directly through the heart and bloodstream. Since you are a Scion of the Logos, you should survive where most would surely perish.”

“… Should?” He asked, glaring at her.

With a shrug, she answered, “Bonded Scions are exceedingly rare. I’ve only met one aside from you in the last millennium. Celestials usually bear the World Cores or rather, they used to due to the inherent risks of the Bond but, as I said, you should be fine, barring some kind of anomaly.” As another drop of blood fell from his nose, she gestured toward him and the drop drifted toward her. The blood crystallized then dropped into her hand once it reached her. “It’s actually the deadliness of concentrated pure Logos that makes the Links provided by your Bond so valuable. There are other methods of infusing Logos into other living beings but all are lethal with the exception of a Bonded’s Link.”

Whatever intentions she had for his blood, Jack wasn’t in a position to protest. He closed his eyes as a particularly painful series of tremors quaked through every muscle in his body. His nerves cried out as though his skin were on fire. He bore the agony in relative silence, determined to not show weakness in front of a Celestial, different from her peers as she might be. The episode passed eventually allowing him to respond. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

“Good to know. Speaking of valuable things, you wouldn’t happen to know the World Keeper’s name, would you?” W’s words flitted through his mind as they had a thousand times over the years. “Once you remember my name, we will speak again.” What about his name is so important?

Helbiel frowned crossing her arms. “No, I do not. That he implied your prior knowledge of his name is suspect. Very few beings have that knowledge , if it even exists. Were you not a Scion, that detail would make me doubt your account altogether.”

“Why?” He grumbled, swaying slightly due to another bout of dizziness.

“The implication of prior memory. Scions of the Logos are born of Fracture. While their apparent age and appearance vary greatly, they are new beings created for a purpose by the World Keeper. Scions are not denizens of other worlds brought to Fracture like many of its inhabitants. Hence, they cannot remember something before Fracture.”

That was news to Jack. Then again, clearly, something else was going on beyond the normal rules of Fracture. His meeting with Drake was proof enough of that. After a few minutes, the completion notification finally appeared.

[The Blue Heart has successfully matured to Phase 2.]

1 New Skill added…

Eidos to Logos Conversion upgraded…

Relic Dematerialization upgraded…

Starforged upgraded…

World Core (Phase 1) trait upgraded…

[Opening World Core Status.]

[World Core Status]

Blue Heart

Maturation Level

2

Logos

0/100000

Links

1/2

[Abilities]

View Skills?

View Traits?

Initiate Relic Creation?

[Your Status has been updated.]

1 New Skill gained from the Blue Heart World Core…

All Attributes increased by 5…

[Open Status?]

Before he could take a moment to look through anything, Helbiel’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Initiate the advancement to Phase Three.”

It was an order; one that he considered disobeying but ultimately, followed. He converted the instructed amount of Eidos into Logos and acquiesced to the maturation. The Blue Heart sent a series of vibrations through his body that evoked a sense of contentment. His body released its tension, one tightened muscle at a time as the advancement started.

Unlike the initialization and the previous advancement, he didn’t feel pain, at least not in the traditional sense. An overwhelming discomfort replaced the tension throughout his entire body and his mind became muddled as though it were filled with fuzz. It was like being drunk. He swayed from side to side in a stupor and only his posture stopped him from falling over. Then, the Blue Heart released a pealing whir.

The World Core vibrated violently as the Logos condensed within it instead of spreading outward through his body. His gut twisted and he retched. Nothing came out of his empty stomach but thin bile— the Illumination made sure of that. Tiny spasms struck his muscles robbing him of his fine motor control and balance. He fell onto his side, his vision growing blurry.

Paralyzed by the maturation process, he watched Helbiel kneel next to him. She produced the crystal of his blood which had grown far more luminous in the short span of time since she took it. The crystal expanded gradually. Jack wondered why until he realized it wasn’t actually expanding; she was moving it toward his face. She said something that he couldn’t hear in his impaired state then pushed the crystal into his right eye. He tried to move his head but she held it in a firm grip. He didn’t scream or cry out. In fact, he barely felt a thing. He was beginning to wonder about what was happening to his body but he couldn’t focus enough to come to any conclusion. Finally, he passed out after a sharp pain filled his skull.

***

When he came to consciousness, several notifications greeted him. He spent several seconds in confusion before he remembered what had happened. Helbiel stood several feet away, analyzing the Dark Maker’s Key. A dazzling matrix of blue light emitted from her hands completely encompassing the corrupted Artifact.

She glanced over at him. “You have two minutes to gather your wits and prepare for battle. I suggest familiarizing yourself with Logos Channeling.” Her eyes wandered to the Shadowtitan’s Fist and she added, “And, perhaps, Integrate Relic.”

Jack felt strange. He looked down at his uncovered hand, turning it over and letting his gaze trail along his arm. His skin had changed, the metallic flesh taking on a fleshier appearance— similar to the way it had been before the metallic flesh began spreading from the Blue Heart. It wasn’t quite the same though. Swirling sigil-like tattoos covered every inch of his body with the exception of his face and his hair had darkened slightly. On the surface, it seemed like a downgrade from the metallic skin but he sensed strength in the blue flesh. Once his eyes reached his torso, he blinked in confusion. The Blue Heart was gone.

He nearly panicked; however, a familiar presence impressed the feeling of urgency upon him. Reaching inside, the Blue Heart’s ego met his own briefly. It had been absorbed into his body, he realized. Its presence seemed smaller somehow while, at the same time, it radiated strength. Again, the Blue Heart sent the feeling of urgency to his mind.

Helbiel glanced over at him and frowned. “One minute and thirty-four seconds.”

Shit… He came to his senses and quickly read through the notifications.

[The Blue Heart has successfully matured to Phase 3.]

2 New Skills added…

Eidos to Logos Conversion upgraded…

Integrate Relic upgraded…

Relic Dematerialization upgraded…

Starforged upgraded…

World Core (Phase 2) trait upgraded…

[Opening World Core Status.]

[World Core Status]

Blue Heart

Maturation Level

3

Logos

0

Logos Fragments

0/1

Links

1/4

[Abilities]

View Skills?

View Traits?

Initiate Relic Creation?

[Your Status has been updated.]

2 New Skills gained from the Blue Heart World Core…

1 New Trait granted by Administrator Helbiel…

All Attributes increased by 8…

[Open Status?]

Jack dismissed the World Core advancement notification since it was a rehash of information that he already saw. All of his World Core Skills were upgraded again. He navigated to his World Core Skills menu. He was rushing but the clock was ticking and he didn’t doubt that Helbiel would simply throw him headfirst into the fight, ready or not.

[Skills]

Channel Logos (World Core Skill)

The user may channel Logos stored within the Blue Heart through his body. Doing so opposes internal corruption and prevents external corruption. The user may grant the benefits of this Skill to a Linked creature but must pay the cost for each individual affected.

Range: Personal or Linked creature within 10 meters

Cost: 20 Logos per second

Eidos to Logos Conversion (World Core Skill)

The user may purify absorbed Eidos into Logos.

Conversion Rate: 20%

Range: Personal

Cost: None

Integrate Relic (World Core Skill)

The user may absorb a Relic of C-grade or lower into his body. The user continues to benefit from any Attribute bonuses and Relic Skills of the absorbed Relics. While a Relic is absorbed, the user may use Logos to recharge any Skills that it possesses.

Integrated Relics: 0/2

Cast Time: 1 minute

Range: Touch

Cost: None

Logos Manipulation (World Core Skill)

The user may manipulate ambient Logos and balance ambient Logos levels. The efficiency of this Skill is dependent on the purity of the ambient Logos.

Range: 10 meters

Relic Dematerialization (World Core Skill)

The user may break down any C-grade Relic. The Relic is destroyed and converted into the appropriate amount of Eidos.

Range: Touch

Cost: None

Starforged (World Core Skill, Passive)

The user takes reduced damage from harmful effects with aspects of creation, fire, or light.

Damage Reduction: 30%

Range: Personal

Cost: N/A

Integrate Relic offered so many possibilities that Jack had to stop himself from getting lost in them. The ability to recharge Relic Skills in a more reliable way would be invaluable assuming the Logos cost wasn’t absurd. Additionally, the Skill allowed him to circumvent one of the biggest weaknesses of Relics, if they were removed and their bonuses were lost. With absorbed and worn Relics, he could rack up enough attribute bonuses to become a powerhouse unto himself. He smiled; it was slight but stoked the fires of hope nonetheless.

Although he barely had enough time, Jack activated Integrate Relic on the Shadowtitan’s Fist and watched in disturbed fascination as the gauntlet sank into his skin like water on a dry sponge. A few seconds later, he turned his attention away from the process. His smiled withered a bit after looking at the details of Channeling Logos. The Skill came at a steep cost of one hundred Eidos per second for each person with the new Eidos to Logos Conversion rate of twenty percent. He shook his head but converted one hundred thousand Eidos into Logos. Satisfied that he wouldn’t run out mid-fight, he checked the new trait granted by Helbiel.

Fractured Eye

Advantages

-The user may concentrate on creatures to obtain information about them. The information received depends on the user’s level and rank.

-The user has the authorization to access additional information on the Dark Maker’s legions through the use of the eye.

-This trait can be upgraded by completing certain objectives for Administrator Helbiel.

Disadvantages

-This trait can be blocked or fooled by high-level obfuscation Skills and polymorphism.

-While concentrating on a target, peripheral vision is reduced by 75%

His eyebrows shot up after reading the trait. Although simple in function, he could only imagine how useful it might be. Of course, it all depended on how much information he received. The first disadvantage was slightly annoying but the reduction in vision wouldn’t affect him much as long as he used the Fractured Eye intelligently. He looked at the Harbinger concentrating in order to test the trait’s effectiveness. Immediately, the vision blurred on the sides like he was looking through a tunnel made of opaque glass.

Cor’tikmal

Threat Level: C (Area Boss)

Designation: Harbinger

Once a young soldier from Arok’Sol VI before it fell to the Dark Maker, this creature was corrupted and quickly rose to the rank of Harbinger within the enemy’s legions due to his talent for conquest and above-average intelligence. He has led four successful campaigns of corruption in lesser worlds.

Harbingers are the weakest leader unit used to guide the Dark Maker’s legions. Their purpose is primarily sabotage and information gathering. Like most Dark Ones, their natural attacks ignore Ethos and cause corruption; however, as leader units, they can channel their corruptive aspect into external sources like weapons. When confronted in combat, they utilize a variety of dangerous area of effect abilities which spread corruption and hamper their opponents.

Identified Abilities

Channel Corruption: Can channel corruption into nearby objects granting them the ability to bypass Ethos.

Storm of Corruption: Rapidly increases corruption in the local area causing a disruption in ambient Logos functions which in turn suppresses user interface capability.

Tendrils of Corruption: Summons a mass of tendrils in a burst around him that restrain living organisms and inflict low corruption damage each second of contact.

Voice of the Dark Maker: Causes the rapid deterioration nearby matter. Extremely caution is advised when this ability is used.

[Warning: Two other abilities unsuccessfully identified.]

Jack scanned through the information as fast as he could. He had a few seconds to spare so he got to his feet. The scan offered a lot of valuable information. He’d seen the Harbinger use many of the listed abilities firsthand though others like Channel Corruption and Tendrils of Corruption were new; not to mention the unidentified abilities. He quickly formulated the skeleton of a plan then checked the Integrate Relic process.

The integration of the Shadowtitan’s Fist finished just as he ran out of time. He skipped past a few notifications until he found the recharge option and accepted the prompt to recharge a single use the Shadowtitan’s Fist for five hundred Logos leaving him with nineteen thousand five hundred to sustain his channel. By the time the recharge prompt disappeared, he was already charging toward Cor’tikmal.

Helbiel did nothing to stop him though she didn’t end the time-stop until he was within melee range which improved the chances of his plan working dramatically. It was only a difference of a second or two but the meaning didn’t escape Jack’s notice. She preferred his success to his failure though the strength of said preference was a mystery.

Everything happened quickly. Helbiel vanished from his periphery along with her staff and the Dark Maker’s Key. Magician’s Manipulation came online. The dark clouds continued to swirl overhead while a sharp vibration filled the air pressing against his skin and breaking down the environment. Awaken resumed— though he spent the Vigor to refresh its timer— bringing with it a wave of powerful resolve as his feelings amplified. Cor’tikmal’s expression changed as he saw Jack suddenly within attack range and instantly moved his weapon to force him back. At the same time, the Shadowtitan appeared beyond the radius of the environmental deterioration and targeted the Cor’tikmal’s shadow. Logos surged through Jack’s body yet unlike his experience in the maturation process, there was no pain or discomfort, only the sense of potential energy resting within. His senses were honed to a razor point. He had one objective: kill the Harbinger.

Unfortunately for the pale invader, the element of surprise and the boost from Awaken made Jack slightly faster. He aimed a vicious kick at Cor’tikmal’s leg in the hopes of unbalancing the giant. Surprisingly, Cor’tikmal positioned the shaft of his weapon to block the attack by diverting its path. It didn’t matter. Jack’s leg crashed into the metal shaft with a thunderous clang driving it back into the giant’s leg with all the force of his momentum and enhanced Might.

Due to the height difference, Jack didn’t see Cor’tikmal’s utter surprise as his confident stance buckled and he fell into the waiting grasp of dozens of inky-black hands sprouting from his shadow. Rather than continue his assault on the ground, Jack kicked off the end Harbinger’s weapon to jump straight up with the assistance of a burst of air. Cor’tikmal recovered quickly. The Shadowtitan’s grasp wasn’t strong enough to hold the giant for any length of time. When he broke free, Cor’tikmal pointed a finger at the Shadowtitan and a beam of red light lanced out destroying the summon instantly.

That’s one unknown ability accounted for. He thought, his mind processing events faster than it had ever before. How the Harbinger knew the Shadowtitan’s location, Jack could only guess. Either way, he only intended for the summon to be a distraction which it was.

He flipped upside down in mid-air utilizing speed and flexibility that he’d never experienced. With his left hand, he made an outward swiping motion and reached for the ground beneath Cor’tikmal. Thankfully, it worked. The stone shifted under the giant sweeping him off his feet just as he turned his attention to Jack. Simultaneously, he brought both legs together and kicked downward while controlling the air. An intense downburst of wind sent him rocketing into the Harbinger’s torso.

The entire maneuver would’ve boggled his mind a few hours earlier but now it came like second nature. While his Attributes had improved dramatically in a short span of time, something else was afoot. Even with better Attributes, there was still an adjustment period where most got used to their new capabilities; however, his body moved exactly the way that he wanted it to. Moreover, his mind seemed to process events as though they moved in slow motion.

This is surreal… The thought lingered in his mind right before he impacted with Cor’tikmal. The collision shattered the already weakened ground beneath them creating a crater. When Jack tried to press his advantage, a white fist smashed into the side of his skull followed swiftly by the butt of the Harbinger’s weapon. Shockingly, though they made a decent dent in his Ethos, they failed to ruin his momentum. He rolled with the Harbinger’s thrust diverting some of the blow and using the cloud of dust kicked up by his previous attack to reposition. Cor’tikmal somehow discerned Jack’s location and the head of his weapon swept Jack’s legs from under him with a savage horizontal slice.

Prior to all of the improvements he had undergone, the force of the blow likely would’ve shattered his legs. As it was, it simply put him on his ass. Before he could recover, the ground erupted with black tendrils and Cor’tikmal spoke a vile word that intensified the sharp vibration in the air. The vibration had been slowly chipping away at his Ethos since the fight started and the damage it dealt doubled. On top of that, a thick mass coiled around his body pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him into the air. The corruption damage from the tendrils joined the damage from Voice of Corruption causing his Ethos to fall at an alarming rate.

[Unchained Attribute bonuses activated.]

Cor’tikmal got to his feet looking at him with a mixture of disgust and hatred. He appeared a bit battered from the big attack but not as damaged as Jack would’ve liked. He said something in his alien tongue and pointed a finger at him. Knowing what was coming, Jack strained against the coiled mass with his boosted Might. The tendrils resisted for a moment then snapped.

He sent a mental nudge to the air and a strong wind pushed him to the side right before the Harbinger’s attack hit him. Without missing a beat, Cor’tikmal gripped his weapon two-handed and swung it down on him like a hammer. As it descended, a dark, gaseous aura enveloped its length. Airborne with a mass of tendril below him, Jack imaged a continuous spiral of powerful wind pushing him away from the Harbinger. The wind answered. He landed in a clumsy roll on the border of the area for Tendrils of Corruption.

Snapping to his feet, he dashed to a nearby vehicle for cover. He barely got behind it in time before Cor’tikmal began putting holes in it with rays of red energy. He heard the giant’s approach and peaked up through the vehicle’s opaque window. A ray lanced by his head, nearly taking his ear off. His gut twisted with trepidation so he abandoned his cover using a surge of wind to blast himself away.

Not a second later, another mass of writhing tendrils emerged where he had stood. He noted the first mass was still present and the horrifying image of a battlefield covered in corruptive tendrils graced his thoughts. He ran for another point of cover, this one a slightly larger truck-like vehicle while dodging several rays of deadly energy from Cor’tikmal.

When he reached the cover, he looked around for something he could use as a weapon. There was nothing, not unless he planned on throwing the vehicles themselves. He could probably flip most of the vehicles on their side with his new Might, maybe even lift some of the smaller ones over his head with Awaken, but he wasn’t strong enough to start tossing them around— not yet, at least. Still, the notion of throwing cars gave him an idea.

He ripped the door off of the truck that he was taking cover behind. One of the Harbinger’s rays caught him in the shoulder and along with all the damage he’d already taken, reduced his Ethos to half its maximum value. He grimaced at the damage the attack dealt. Assuming his damage reduction from Starforged counted against it, the rays would’ve eaten through his old Ethos like a hot knife through butter. Thankfully, the energy carried little force so he wasn’t thrown off balance. He gripped the truck door by one of its edges and the inside handle, which was unwieldy like it had been designed for someone with unnaturally large hands. Nevertheless, he ran out from cover toward Cor’tikmal. As the giant prepared to fire another ray at him, he spun on his heel then ended the spin by stepping forward with his right leg and throwing the door like an improvised, oversized chakram. Surprisingly, he didn’t miss.

Cor’tikmal launched his attack successfully and connected shaving off another sizable chunk of Ethos. However, the door hit the giant right in the stomach and he doubled over. Jack didn’t wait around for his attack to land though. He used the chance to close the distance in a few long strides. He landed another kick to the harbinger’s shin but instead of buckling like last time, Cor’tikmal withstood the attack. In an attempt to keep up the offensive, Jack attempted to reposition and attack from behind. Sadly, Cor’tikmal’s fist came swooping down and skidded across the side of Jack’s head as he barely avoided a direct hit. The Scion lost some of his balance because of the blow. While he stumbled, the Harbinger received the time it needed to bring his weapon to bear

One swing of the giant’s weapon whizzed over his head as he ducked low to avoid it. Before he could do anything else, Cor’tikmal reversed his grip and brought the butt of the weapon to bear as a sharp strike. Jack lacked the reflexes to dodge the sudden attack so he called up the stone beneath his feet. It created rough divots that he used to brace himself for the impact. The blow slammed into his side with enough force to break his stone moorings which although much of the blow’s power was used in the process. It was enough for Jack to successfully withstand the blow after being pushed about a foot to the side. One glance at his Ethos revealed that it was below twenty-five percent. He didn’t want to think about what the Voice of Corruption would do to his body without his Ethos.

Cor’tikmal regarded him with an expression that looked like contempt and Jack shot it right back at him before stopping on the giant’s foot heel first as hard as he could. The strike had the deserved effect in causing the giant to wince and step back instead of pressing his attack.

Pouncing on the opportunity, Jack dove for the truck door which had landed only a foot or two off to the side. Door in hand, he surged forward keeping low to force the far larger opponent to compensate. Cor’tikmal made to push him back with his weapon but Jack sent a violent burst of wind straight into the giant’s face disorienting him for a second.

With his enemy distracted, he launched himself into the air while diverting all of his focus to the stone beneath Cor’tikmal’s feet. He rammed into Cor’tikmal’s midsection like a battering ram. Simultaneously, the stone underfoot moved under the command of his Skill ruining the Harbinger’s balance as Jack pushed into his large frame. A loud crash marked the Harbinger’s unceremonious landing.

Black tendrils exploded from the ground around them but Jack didn’t hesitate. He tossed the door at Cor’tikmal’s head and jumped just out of the tendrils’ reach with the assistance of his Air Specialization. The Harbinger angrily pushed the door off of his head, only to the stone grow around and over it under his command. As Cor’tikmal clawed at the stone attempting to suffocate him, Jack plummeted downward with a double-heeled stomp fueled by the most powerful stream of wind he could muster. The savage blow impacted with the Harbinger’s chest stunning the giant.

Jack dropped down into a mount position barely managing to grip the sides of the giant’s torso with his knees. The tendrils attempted to latch onto him but he summoned a violent burst of wind centered on him that pushed them away. Diverting his attention from the earth hampering Cor’tikmal, he summoned another burst and another; all the while, he delivered blow after blow into the same spot that he had impacted with his last attack.

Like a jackhammer on concrete, Jack broke through Cor’tikmal. He heard the cracks of internal structures fracturing. His fists split pale skin. The Harbinger tried to defend himself once he recovered. He punched Jack with massive fists of his own but he fought a losing battle. Poor positioning and a weakening body worked against the giant. He tried to fire one of his rays at one point only to have its casting disrupted as Jack drove a hammerblow into his chest. Some tendrils powered through the onslaught of wind to grab hold of Jack’s legs and torso yet they could not dislodge him. Ironically, they helped him stay in place more than anything because they activated his Unchained trait while being too impotent to restrain his arms. Jack roared delivering every bit of Might he had into each blow.

[Warning: Ethos has been depleted. Proceed with caution.]

His Ethos gave way to the constant damage. The sharp vibration in the air was like a saw against his skin. Tiny daggers of pain covered his entire body and the points of contact where the tendrils touched his skin burn like hot irons. Regardless, he did not relent. The amplification effect of Awaken heightened his battle fever to a new level. He had nowhere to run; his desire to survive mandated that absolute violence was the only recourse. He stopped noticing the burning and the way the air cut into his skin. The world narrowed to his bloodsoaked quarry and the gory task of turning its chest into pulp.

Then, suddenly, a notification broke his focus. It took him a moment to realize what had happened as he stared at Cor’tikmal’s unmoving body. He read the message and his mental state crash as though he were coming down from an intense high.

[Awaken has ended. Reactivate?]

He blinked at the message, his mind grasping at the implication. The entire fight had taken less than a minute.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he numbly looked over to see Helbiel floating slightly behind him.

“Congratulations on your victory, Jack” Her words resonated with the power of her Gnosis forcefully pulling him out of his stupor. “Now, close that Gate and we have much to discuss.”

***

Sometime later, Jack stood beside Helbiel at the top of a skyscraper. He was still covered in now-dry blood; however, his mood had changed drastically. He turned to her appraising the Celestial in a new light.

“Fracture is losing the fight against the enemy, isn’t it?” He asked.

She didn’t respond at first instead she gazed out at the cityscape below in the dull light of the silent Remnant. Despite the ambient melancholy, the view had a subdued beauty to it. The familiar yet alien architecture awash with drab colors evoked a sense of calm in the face of death.

“Yes,” she said, finally. She didn’t elaborate but it wasn’t necessary. Her plan told him what he needed to know. While her demeanor bespoke a goddess fighting against unending corruption, he recognized a facet of the woman beneath the mask after their discussion about what should be done about Terras and one thing, in particular, stood out to him.

She was tired.

According to her, only one other Celestial aside from herself still laid claim to his Gnosis. He was also, apparently, a man that Jack should avoid at all costs. For what reason, she wouldn’t say but Helbiel had earned at least some trust from him especially once she told him what she would do to help Terras.

He took a moment to process her answer. Although it wasn’t a surprise, he was still a bit dismayed. After about a minute, he said, “Lots of work to do then.”

She nodded and stayed silent though he thought he saw the corner of his mouth twitch with the ghost of a smile. They stared into the distance for a few minutes in silence until she turned and stepped away from the edge. He followed her to a small stone building in the center of the roof against which Cor’tikmal’s weapon leaned. Jack grimaced at the weapon. Helbiel insisted on bringing it with them. It wasn’t a Relic; he couldn’t sense any latent power in it but he could sense the lingering corruption within the object so he wondered what plans the Celestial had for it.

“It is time I sent you on your way. I’ve checked the timescale of Terras and you’ve not missed much time which I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear.” She easily lifted the massive weapon from its position against the wall. It began to hum and thin strands of dark gas drifted off of it. He recognized the substance as corruption in its less concentrated form.

“You’re purifying it?” He asked.

“Yes,” she answered. The last of the corruption left the weapon yet Helbiel didn’t stop there. The matrix of blue energy extended from her hands again, this time encompassing the entire length of the massive weapon. She looked at Jack. “Picture your preferred weapon.”

He raised an eyebrow at the request but did as asked. Jack never thought much about weapons because he could never afford anything worthwhile. He defaulted toward blunt implements of violence since they were plentiful and effective on most enemies. Still, he recognized the importance of having a decent weapon especially in the hands of someone with the skill to wield it. With that in mind, the weapon of Ja’kar, one of his previous lives, lingered in his thoughts. Its design had a brutal simplicity to it that appealed to his relatively limited experience with martial weapons. Perhaps due to the fragmented memory of Ja’kar that he’d received during his meeting with Drake, he easily summoned an exact image of the weapon down to an inscription etched into the haft.

Hope lies within uncertainty.

The red and black metal of Cor’tikmal’s weapon became liquid under the power of the Helbiel’s matrix. The liquid metal reformed into the shape held within Jack’s mind. The process only took a few seconds and the metal cooled just as quickly.

“An interesting design choice,” she said. “The metal of Arok’Sol IV lacks any extraordinary properties but it should serve you better any non-Relic weapon that you find in Terras.” Helbiel handed it to him. She reached out to touch the Ore Father’s Token running her pristine fingers over the dull, stained medallion. She said, “Since you have a Relic from Terras, it will be a simple matter to teleport you to it. Are you ready?”

He paused for a moment before coming to a decision. He met Helbiel’s gaze and said, “Thank you, Helbiel. I—”

She held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t need your thanks. I just need you to succeed.”

With that, a deep blue marble of energy emerged from the tip of her staff and floated to the spot where the Blue Heart had once been. The marble sank into his flesh hitting him with the enormity of the importance held within before the sensation disappeared. He brushed his hand reflexively against the spot where the marble had vanished.

“I will. I might not be an insanely powerful being but I’m just as invested in the success of this plan. It's my life on the line after all.”

“I am counting on it.” As the words left her mouth, Helbiel and the dull world vanished and everything went dark.

***

After teleporting Jack to Terras, Helbiel glanced out at the cityscape of Drenedoch. Its boring scenery was calming. Sometimes, simplicity was all she wanted.

Hope lies within uncertainty. The words played through her mind a few times as she tried to remember where she had heard the before. After a minute, she shook her head. It must’ve been a very long time ago if she was having trouble remembering it; she could still recall things from over two millennia ago. Eventually, she abandoned the task deeming it unimportant. She would remember if it was anything of note.

From her dimensional storage, she pulled out the Dark Maker’s Key and grimaced at it. Super condensed corruption rolled off the Artifact in near-nauseating waves. They posed no threat to her but it brought Jack back to mind. The young Scion had several mysteries surrounding him, chiefly of which was how he had survived up until meeting her.

My colleagues are many things but when they want something, little can stand in their way. How did he escape Azatiel of all people? It made little sense to her. The odds of Jack’s survival were so astronomically low that there had to be a missing piece to the puzzle. However, that wasn’t the only improbability connected to him. She scanned the corrupted Artifact again.

Name: Dark Maker’s Key

Relic Grade: Mythic

One of the thirteen Logos Keys given to the Celestials by the World Keeper during the creation of Fracture. It has been corrupted for use by the Dark Maker’s legions.

How did you withstand contact with this, Jack? Again, she wondered about him. She had left many questions unasked for many reasons but that had been at the top of the list. The corruption within the Dark Maker’s Key should’ve killed anything under S-rank that touched it. Jack should’ve died the moment he grabbed the sliver of corrupted Logos, Bonded or not.

Based on his account of events under the effect of her Gnosis, Jack had very little useful information. He was like a drowning man, struggling to stay alive and with no notion of up from down. Helbiel had an idea of the truth behind him yet without further proof, she couldn’t act on it. The best course of action for the moment was to keep a watchful eye on him without arousing any suspicion which would be easy enough to do since she had used her administrative access on his user protocol. At a thought, she could know his location, any Status changes, bodily health, and the maturation of the Blue Heart. For now, she would keep her distance and play the role of overseer to his indenture contract. Once more of his true nature came to light, she would act.

She replaced the Dark Maker’s Key in her dimensional storage. It was the second of its kind that she had come across in as many decades. She had hoped never to find another after the first.

But I did… Sighing, she glanced out at the drab scenery again seeking relief from the complexity of her life. She couldn’t ignore the Artifact’s appearance such a short time after finding the first. Aside from her prerogative as a Celestial, its appearance on Terras was the driving factor behind the plan she had given Jack. In some ways, it was a cruel scheme borne from her own frustration but that didn’t change its necessity to Fracture’s well-being.

Whether the powers of Fracture realized it or not, the enemy was gaining ground. If nothing changed, the Dark Maker’s legions would finally break through the World Keeper’s protection and their corruption would spread throughout the Broken Lands like an unstoppable plague.