After finalizing the covenant, I waited inside some kind of subspace within the body of the Akashic Records. The space served as my cultivation chamber until Akasha found and prepared my vessel on the Old World. Unfortunately, the Curator couldn’t handle all of my conditions at once due to the involvement of the Crawling Shadow’s mana so it had turned its attention, at my behest, to Earth’s initiation into the Covenant System of the Akashic Records or A.R.C.S for short.

I was surprised to learn that covenants like his were common practice for the Akashic Records. The Keepers of the Records initiated new planets and sometimes even entire star systems, typically in exchange for access to the knowledge of the initiated. It said a lot about the Aspect that it willingly entered into covenants with mortals. Covenants required equivalent terms for all participants after all so they usually only occurred between parties of equivalent strength or influence.

No two initiations were the same though they all shared one feature: a Patron, typically an individual or a group, held the covenant with the Akashic records and set the initial parameters of the initiation.

Thankfully, I had managed to specify certain guidelines for the guidance of humanity and preservation of Earth during the formation of the covenant despite being overwhelmed by the power of the Akashic Records.

I passed the time by igniting the first sparks of mana within my new form. Before I started on the road to regaining and surpassing my former strength, I had to lay the foundations for growth within myself. To do that, I needed to construct several painstakingly precise structures on the surface of and within my “soul”. I had to build them with the pure mana that I naturally produced since I lacked the structures to make my signature mana, psykhe. These structures would balance the latent energy of the countless souls that I had amalgamated into myself and allow me to harness that energy to create an improved form of psykhe. Once those steps were completed, psykhe production and complex structure production could commence marking the first steps of real progress.

The cultivation chamber generously provided by Akasha was isolated from the Akashic Records’ signature mana which confusingly, was also called akasha, despite being located within the Aspect. According to Akasha, it took its name and gained its position as Curator due to having the highest synchronicity with said mana even though it wasn’t the oldest or even most powerful of the sub-cores. However, since I had no desire to synchronize with akasha, an uncompromised cultivation environment was much appreciated as it allowed for all my focus to be on my work.

Time crawled along as I grew bit by bit. Several times, I had to master my thoughts which frequently drifted concern about the vague deadline specified by the Crawling Shadow. Time in the Astral is nebulous at best especially without access to the Physical as a reference. Sadly, all I could do in my situation was progress as quickly as possible and progress I did.

I had just finished the stabilizing structures, no easy task, when I sensed Akasha’s presence in the cultivation chamber curtesy of the link formed by our covenant. Although I knew the Curator was there, I couldn’t get an accurate understanding of it without sensory structures which I once again lamented not having.

“Greetings, Nascent Soul. Your vessel has been prepared although there have been complications.” Akasha said establishing a channel for communication between us immediately.

“What complications?” I asked as I checked my finalized work. Any errors in the structures would’ve been disastrous if I inhabited my vessel before correcting them.

“We have taken the appropriate steps to prepare the ideal vessel but our projections are unable to account for the Crawling Shadow’s influence,” it said. I already knew as much based on my initial interaction with the Keepers. The Crawling Shadow epitomized all that was darkness and death: that it obscured the Akashic Record’s ability to predict the future was no surprise. The question was of how compromised my vessel had become. The curator continued, “The vessel is ready but it has been tainted by the Shadow’s mana and marked by one of the Umbral Brides.”

“The Umbral Brides?” I asked.

“They are a trio of divine entities tied to the Crawling Shadow. There is a similar concept in the cultures of your Earth; that of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. We are unsure of which but we are certain the vessel wasn’t marked coincidentally. We are also certain that the perpetrating Bride will make itself known when you inhabit the body. Due to your covenant with the Shadow, it is unlikely that any of the Umbral Brides will have hostile intent toward you but this does not mean they couldn’t or wouldn’t cause harm of some kind.”

I accidentally let a bit of my distaste slip at the mention of divinity. In my ignorance of the Orders of Astral Power, thoughts of Libbu’s children and their escapades came to mind. Thankfully, Akasha had seen my Records and ironically, knew more about me than any inhabitants of Earth including those with whom I had enacted lesser soul bindings so it explained without prompting.

“I apologize. Your ignorance of the Orders of Astral Power must make the context of this complication difficult to grasp. The Orders of Astral Power are a simple measurement of the capability, mana capacity, and true comprehension of entities within or connected to the Astral. In your Earth measurements, I have labeled these Orders from one to ten. The First Order represents an individual with the minimum capability of producing enough mana to power a minor manifestation such as conjuring a ball of light through either cultivation or consumption. At the Pinnacle, the Tenth Order holds Aspecthood which only entities like the Akashic Records can claim. Any entity of the Seventh Order or high is considered a divine existence. For your reference, I am a Ninth Order entity and before your encounter with the Shadow, you would also have been considered one. The Umbral Brides are reported to be of the Seventh Order although their combined rating may be higher. As of right now, we have barred them from the sector but they and many other powerful entities tied to the Shadow managed to amass followers who allow their influence to continue in the sector.”

It was a lot of information to take in at once. The gap between myself and the Crawling Shadow had been insurmountable so it caused a bit of dissonance to hear only a single digit of separation between our levels of power. Then again, an unspoken truth in Akasha’s words caused that dissonance to be short-lived. Both the Curator and I had been Ninth Order astral beings yet I wasn’t arrogant enough to miss the massive gap in capability, mana capacity, and true comprehension between myself and Akasha. Even within the same Order of Astral Power, major differences existed and the severity of these differences only became more exacerbated at the higher orders.

“I see,” I eventually said. “You mentioned that you were certain the Bride who marked me would make contact when I inhabited the vessel. Are your projections able to predict what might come of that contact or is the Shadow’s veil too thick even within these lesser entities? Moreover, I assume the mark on my vessel is why they will be able to make contact despite being barred from the sector?”

“The latter to your question and yes to your second,” Akasha said. The news was less than ideal but it wasn’t all bad. “However, due to your covenant and the unique nature of your current state of being, none of them should pose a direct threat to your ‘soul’.”

“But the same can’t be said for my vessel, hence the complication,” I said earning a curt pulse of affirmation from Akasha. “Tell me of my vessel.”

Instead of an explanation through communication, I received a prompt that might’ve been more at home on one of the computers that I had seen within Lucille’s memories than the current setting.

Accessing Report: Vessel for Patron 9917-ARCS-1

Given Name: Eric Blackthorn

Species: Human

Age: 15 years, 11 Months, 2 Days

Classifications: Shifter, Half-blooded Sorcerer, Stigmatized.

Jonathon Holston, a shifter, and Liberty Blackthorn, a sorceress, were chosen to sire the Vessel due to having optimal Records for producing the ideal conditions within their offspring for the Patron. During the pregnancy, the Vessel was a Hollow Soul by Akasha rendering the Vessel catatonic upon birth. The Vessel’s condition was attended to by an agent of the Akashic Records in the employ of the Blackthorn estate. This agent assured the parents of their child’s eventual wellbeing when the Vessel reached the age of sixteen. The agent also oversaw the necessary rituals to optimize the Vessel for the Patron.

Rituals performed included: Metabolic Enhancement, Increased Molecular Mana Infusion, Metatramutation Imbuement, Astral Synesthesia, Astris Absorption Enhancement, Mana Mass Stabilization, Soul Space Expansion

Progress remained stable until one of the Umbral Brides branded the Vessel with a Stigmata, the term used by the people of Earth to label those who bear the influence of Crawling Shadow. The revelation of the Vessel’s Stigmata caused great tension between Elizabeth Blackthorn and her grandmother, Archmage Blackthorn, as, like many humans, the Blackthorns view the Stigmatized as blighted creatures destined to die or become puppets of the Crawling Shadow. The Blackthorn Archmage refused to continue pouring resources into the now branded Vessel.

When Elizabeth refused to dispose of the Vessel, she, Jonathan, and the agent were exiled from the Blackthorn estate. This exile has caused unexpected delays in the Vessel’s preparation. Attempts to project the effect of the Stigmata on future rituals are inconclusive.

The Vessel is currently en route to Holsburg, Tennessee; the hometown of Jonathon Holston. Estimated time of arrival: 2 days, 6 hours.

I absorbed the information quickly with many questions popping into my mind as I did so. What was a Hollow Soul? Who was this agent? What were the specifics of the rituals? Some of them sounded similar to my endeavors into fleshwarping but others were completely unknown. Another question popped into my mind.

“How long has it been since the Crawling Shadow withdrew from the sector?” I asked. It listed my vessel’s age as almost 16 and it had been engineered by Akasha from birth.

“It has been twenty years, four months, and five days,” Akasha reported. Predicting my next question, it added, “Aside from the interference of the lesser entities that trail in its wake, the Crawling Shadow has remained dormant several sectors from your native sector.”

I felt a wave of relief wash through my consciousness. It seemed the Shadow had stuck to the parameters of our covenant. Perhaps, I am being overly worrisome.

I had no idea how I compared to most astral beings in age but despite my existence spanning at least hundreds of thousands of years, I knew that I might as well be a child to the Crawling Shadow. Although I felt a clock ticking down on the Shadow’s patience, the short period could be anywhere from a few decades or to several thousand years for such an ancient entity.

“I am curious about these rituals and this agent you have employed. Could—”

My communication through the pathway Akasha had established was interrupted abruptly by a sharp feeling of alarm and an update in the Vessel’s report.

ALERT!

The Vessel is under attack by an unknown enemy. Agent reports multiple assailants that evaded her detection and system projections. The Vessel has sustained heavy damage but is salvageable. System protocols have failed to stabilize the Vessel’s damage. Interference detected; foreign mana bearing the signature of the Umbral Brides.

The assigned Hollow Soul has been destroyed. The Vessel’s connection to the Akashic Records is being eroded rapidly.

Immediate initiation of Patron transfer or Vessel termination is advised.

“This is unfortunate,” Akasha said. “We will terminate the Vessel and begin preparation on a new Vessel. Although we could not predict the exact actions of the Shadow or its puppets, interference of some kind was expected. Other Vessels have been prepared under less optimal conditions but we can divert primary resources to one of them. Finalization will only take—”

“It is time to grow, Nascent Soul.”

The words came from a whisper uttered from within the deepest parts of my being, from the black sun orbiting my modified Astral Gate.

Before either Akasha or I could register what was happening, I felt the influence of the Akashic Records touch my body for a moment but its grasp failed to hold. It might be a match for the Akashic Records in scope and power but it could do nothing even as I was dragged from its body. It had provided a Vessel: now, the only right it had was the right to witness what came next.

Seeing the futility in fighting the pull, I accepted the transfer focusing on the signature of Eric Blackthorn, my new vessel. The journey was short lasting only a moment. It came to an abrupt end when the face of a woman appeared in my mind. Instinctively, I knew: she was the Umbral Brides whose mark my vessel bore.

Yet, my thoughts failed to process anything else as I truly saw her face. Pressure settled on every facet of my being and darkness fogged my mind. I focused on the sight of her. She was shrouded by an ethereal veil of shadow but somehow, I could see through it clear as day. Her face… I hadn’t seen her face in so long yet I remembered it as though her sacrifice had been yesterday.

She smiled. Shrouded in darkness, the lines of death’s approach traced along her features. Her face was sallow and her eyes were pools of black, like a twisted memory of her weary expression and gleaming eyes as I finished the ritual to fuse her with Earth.

She was looking down at me. In my haze, I realized that she cradled my soul like a mother would a babe. A hand rose from the darkened corners of my vision and brushed against my form sending shivers into my core.

“Grow strong, my beloved, and find me at the place where it’s hidden.”

Then, the pressure built growing heavier and heavier. I couldn’t have cared less at that moment about my discomfort. With all of my willpower, I turned my fading sight inward to see the core of my being. The Astral Gate sat at the center orbited by two objects but I immediately honed in on the central piece of Libbu’s core structures. As I watched, the seemingly uncompromised structures faded one by one until only half remained. Intertwined with those structures was a thread of psykhe that I didn’t remember creating. The thread extended not outside of my soul but into the center of the black sun.

My mind scrambled for answers, for something. Only more pressure came.

I couldn’t take the realization. I tried to escape the pressure and reject the twisted reality but I had no strength to fight back.

All the while, her face watched, smiling, as I was crushed.

Finally, it ended when my being felt like it was pulled through a tube far too small for it to fit. Then, I truly felt the Physical for the first time in my existence. Yet, it wasn’t the smell of fresh air or the warmth of the sun on my skin.

No, fire lanced through my insides, the taste of blood coated my tongue, and the smell of tobacco invaded my nostrils.

All of it paled in comparison to the sound of my screams in my ears.