Name: Nil

Race: Demon

Type: Transformed Deviant Soul

Age: Immortal – 7years, 5months.

Crystal Essence: [Crimson]- Lvl.8— 365.2esq

[Available Essence Points— 0]

Strength: 31

Agility: 56

Wisdom: 26

Abilities: [Faithless Absorption], [Faithless Mimicry], [Faithless Essence Amplification]

[Available Trait Points— 0]

Traits: [Armoured Form]- Lvl.2, [Greater Cognizance]- Lvl.4, [Psychic Resistance]- Lvl.5, [Quick Mould]- Lvl.5

Ascension Perks: [Reais Fiend]

Spells: [Invisibility]- Lvl.1, [Minor Illusion]- Lvl.2

Patron: Nil

I have the dome follow me after Haern says it has no effect on him. It costs a load of mana for each feature of the Minor Illusion, taking nearly all the mana I’ve got. Maintaining it is not easy either, the clock runs on how long I can keep the demons confused and attacking each other and even then, there are some demon’s resistant to the effect. They aren’t difficult to deal with, most times we don’t have to as their counterpart’s rush at them from all sides.

As the seconds tick by Haern and I stare down at the golem guarding Morthul from our perch. There’s no doubt that the moment we get close enough to Morthul to pull him out of the Pillar and stop his cleaving of the layer the giant demon statue will spur with life and take ours.

A divide and conquer tactic won’t work. I’m keeping the hordes at bay and Haern’s far too weak to hope to fight the golem, even as a distraction. I’d love to deceive him into thinking he can, but I’d rather not have him die in vain.

Rushing at it with the confused demons beside us? No, we’ve already seen resistance to the spell and if we’ve learned anything about that pillar it’s that demons are stronger the closer they are to it. We’d be launching ourselves into a bottomless pit. There are hundreds of them, never mind the golem, dealing with them all is implausible.

“Magic would help a lot right now.” Haern says, swallowing yet another of the corpses that pile around us.

“Do you know any?”

“No, but I’ve seen some real powerful arts.” He starts with a full mouth, hands shoving more bits of demons. I let him gorge as I concern myself with crystals. I’ve found that demons with stronger crystals are the best to consume.

“I’ve seen some myself.” Gerim’s flash of ice quills stabbing and freezing the side of the monstrous Dawern comes to mind. I regret not pressing him to teach me more, but he wouldn’t have no matter how long I whined. His lesson plan was rigid, so much so that I wonder if I truly have no way towards Morthul’s Soul Crystal.

He said I was ready after I cast [Minor Illusion]— the first of my spells to level. For one, I can see the use of the spell rather plainly, but that use runs out should I step out any further from this Dune.

‘What else have I learned since?’

[Invincibility]? Combined with the effects of my illusions, I supposed I could frustrate some of the demons chasing me— the golem would still be a problem. Golem aside, that doesn’t account for Haern, he’ll be plucked out of the sky once I change the function of the illusion, and I still have use of him.

With a sigh I continue the absorption of the crystals Morthul’s demons are feeding me. Haern’s grown a bit stronger by the look of him. His wings are wider and so is the rest of him, I’d place him right behind me for the vigour of his consumption, even though many of the crystals lacked substance.

I’m still tethering on the edge of Crimson Level 8, level 9 and Blood Orange taunt me and I’m tempted to rush right into Morthul’s suffocating pillar of Essence and…and…wait!

“Haern! I have a plan.”

He startles a bit but his impression brightens, “Finally, I thought this was it. Feast on the edge of a new divide’s birth and ascend Crimson.”

“That was the plan for a bit, but I’ve got a better one. Get me all the Crystals, all of them.”

I help Haern gather the crystals we’ve horded and even slaughters a few dozens more of the sacrificial demons Morthul and his pillar keep throwing at us. Soon we’ve got a mountain of crystals all of varying powers. Around a few hundred sit, making up a strong Blood Orange, not nearly enough Esq to bring me to Blood Orange when divide by three, but enough for to bring me through to it and more than enough for a single, blast of power.

Haern stares at the pile hungrily while I prepare the Essence within my Soul Crystal to do something I likely shouldn’t even attempt without Gerim or Calridian here to supervise.

But there’s nothing else to do. Either we run back out the way we came, a full two-week journey through Morthul’s chaos and let him rip a new divide in the war torn layer. Or we end him now, by whatever means necessary.

I’ve only seen it once and even then I didn’t have the tools to understand what I was looking at. Gerim’s given me those tools now, taught me the power behind a soul is it’s will, I think that was what his lessons were truly about. Not teaching me how to explode demons with an infusion of Essence, but teaching me that the will behind the Essence I conjure, behind my soul. It must be undisputed, regardless of Esq.

When we left for the assault on Zarks, I didn’t have any of the things I do now. Suddenly I’m glad I let him take me with, the struggles against the [Agir] have given me the persistence I need to make my will undisputable.

Seated cross legged in front of the crystals, in front of Morthul and his golem. I take a calming breath and open my Soul Crystal and let my Essence seep out. The Seeker Blade sits beside me, limp and impotent as I pull away all of my energy and thought from it.

For a demon, I’m in the most vulnerable state I can be. Haern knows this, he stares down at me, angered at first thinking I’m about swallow the heap of nearly two hundred Crystals. But for all his greed he’s anything but dumb. He carries his chains and continues slaughtering and feasting, keeping a keen watch on me and my target.

The Pillar of Essence.

As my Soul Crystal, Crimson Level 8 empties out over the heap I sense the pressure of my own power for the first time. It’s meagre compared to all I’m surrounded by, meagre compared even to the pile of crystals before me. I don’t let that fact get to me.

Without much bother I butter and spread the Essence over every surface of the pile, lifting it off the sand so it levitates as a sphere. Essence wrapped around it, I take the time forming the pile of crystals into a ball, but there are already reactions. Sparks fly and crystals hum with the Essence within, struggling against the outside invader.

But this is a mere pile of separate and untethered Soul Crystals. There’s no will being the souls.

Brows furrow and sweat drips, I crush the resistance under the pressure of my will. Directing them to do as I wish, there’s no other alternative than to obey. Calridian did this once for Crystals much stronger than this, the lightning crackling and zipping at me in defiance is nothing compared to what Calridian has managed.

Although I don’t know the details to how he did it, I exert my will over the heap in front of me and force them to do it.

Ten shatter. Leaking out valuable Essence. I don’t pay mind.

Another five go and I sneer, feeling the escaped Essence bite against my own, loosening the shell I’ve wrapped around the heap.

“Nil.” Haern’s voice in my head is not a distraction I can afford, yet I can’t shut him out, “Nil the golem…I think it knows what you’re trying to do.”

Great, a time limit is just what I need isn’t it?

My eyes remain sealed and my strain worsens. Exerting my will over the remaining crystals I direct the Essence shrouding the surface to push back on every crystal it touches. Slowly, my Essence punches through the crystals, taking the Essence within with it as it journey’s to the centre.

“Almost done.” I manage.

My Essence continues to burrow through the heap, compressing and transforming the foreign Essence into an instrument for unimpeded advance to the centre of the sphere.

I catch the hasty flurry of Haerns chains along with the unmistakable stomps of a golem now awake and curse under my breath. The dome of Illusion I maintained leaves me too, and the confusion is no more.

I thought I was vulnerable before but now my heart pounds in my chest with each stomp the golem takes and each enraged flurry of chains I hear. I can’t lose now, I can’t. Not when I’ve got no answers, no locations, no true enemy to rage at.

Gritting my teeth, I find my last hurdle becomes consolidating all the Essence into one crystal. It could break, it could snap and shatter and that would be it for me. For Haern. For all my hatred at these faceless gods and my vengeance would be an empty threat.

No.

Snapping my eyes open I rise and find that the sphere of crystals has shed weight. Only one remains with a cloud of Essence almost as thick as Morthul’s insane pillar. I shove my hand through and grab the last crystal, the golem snarls me and roars, axe in hand it rages at my threat.

With a final, desperate squeeze and an insertion of will. The cloud of Essence snaps into the last Soul Crystal, setting my hand on fire but empowering me.

[Blood Orange Soul Crystal]- Lvl.6

Without a word to Haern I snatch the Seeker Blade and meet the golem’s charge.

It roars and I roar back. All my useable Essence resides in the crystal burning my hand now, I can’t go faster, I can’t reinforce my body, I can’t do anything but roar at the victory that I must have. Clasping the Seeker Blade in hand I focus is the gleaming Blood Orange Crystal embedded in its chest. The Essence of two hundred Crystals and my own combined surely won’t be enough for what I need.

The golem ignites the axe in hand with a coat of wind. I know what it intends to do. It reaches me faster than I anticipated but I’m still prepared when it swings. Sliding underneath the swing I slap the burning Soul Crystal onto the pommel of the Seeker Blade and it reacts beautifully.

I lie underneath the golem as the Blade accepts the new source of power and bursts forth, transformed to a new weapon, a weapon I recognize. Lance.

Longer reach, sharper edge. It slices through the golem and glances the Soul Crystal powering it. Grasping the Lance, I measure myself and make the effort to cut the golem in half. The Crystal pops off, rattling in the air and landing in my waiting palm.

The golem’s two halves fall and I pant, staring at the luxurious Lance I’ve locked in my fist. My vision splits as the waking nightmare taunts at the worst possible time. Annoyed and robbed of the chance to appreciate the weapon’s beauty I separate the first Soul Crystal from the Lance so it transforms back to the short blade I’ve grown fond of.

I take a moment to appreciate the risks I’ve taken and the reward at the end of this instead. The enemy still remains, ahead and behind where Haern is slowly being overwhelmed. I know what I have to do, but I hesitate.

“Haern, I…I have to kill Morthul, I can’t turn back now. I’m too weak.”

“Too weak? You just took down that golem, a Blood Orange tier for all intents.” Even though I’m nowhere close to him, his impression floods my mind as we speak. He’s afraid.

“You’ll survive. Once I break Morthul’s pillar all those demons will forget you’re the enemy, they’ll stop obeying his instructions.”

I catch another one of his magnificent flourishes. Heads roll and limbs are lost as he takes to the air. But he’s smacked right out of it by another hybrid demon.

“You will survive Haern! You will!” I’m sure it’s the last thing I’ll ever say to him because as I rush through the demons coming at me, exploiting their lumbering bodies and my agile footing to make my way to Morthul. I have a gut feeling Morthul won’t be very pleased at his dethronement.

While I run and dodge and punch and kick and slash my way through to it, I work on the acquired crystal. Bullying the Essence within the Blood Orange Level 3 Crystal with the other until both combine into a sharp and large Blood Orange Level 7.

It’s the highest I’ve ever seen and I’m more than tempted to absorb it all, to ascend to Blood Orange at long last and run back to help Haern. I could form the crystal sphere again, steal the Essence of another two hundred demons, maybe even four hundred for how strong I’ll become. But I know there’s no time left, Morthul is awake in there and the cut he’s making in the layer, the divide he’s tearing out for himself is becoming permanent.

I can’t afford that. So I run and when I reach the ridge where a giant, red, pulsating ritual circle with several of what looks like Calridian’s stolen artefacts floating about it, I pull on the power of the Soul Crystal burning in my hand.

I see Morthul inside the red of the Pillar, the oppressive presence of him. He sneers down at me but does nothing to attack or to defend. Even the demons he’s spawned don’t move. Whether he’s seen that this is the pinnacle of power he will ever achieve and is satisfied with that, I don’t know and I don’t care.

Savagely, I punch through the pillar and it takes off all of my skin, muscle and flesh. I scream in agony, gripping the Seeker Blade desperately I roar out defiance and use what Gerim has taught me.

To achieve this pillar of Essence, to achieve the spawning and modification demons and terraforming of the layer. To do any of this, you’ve got to be vulnerable, you have to open your Soul Crystal to the world. Morthul, with the help of these artefacts has essentially put a grip on the layer, coated it with his Essence and forced it to bend to his will. The same way I did to the two hundred crystals.

Screaming out defiance I let the Seeker Blade go and it snaps across the ritual circle, breaking through each and every last artefact in place before snapping back into my hand. Whatever power they gave him is gone.

The Pillar of Essence flickers, a look of dread, of shock, of lost washes through Morthul’s ugly mug and I grin, teeth gritted in pain and mind directing the Essence of a Blood Orange Level 7 to destroy Morthul’s vulnerable Soul Crystal.

He rages in agony even I can’t imagine. My arm may be bones but his soul is on fire.

Breathing a ragged sigh, I fall on my knees and stare up at the sky. My ears ring a high pitch and my vision blurs. I’m as weak as a low Crimson tier with my Soul Crystal empty.

I close my eyes for a moment of respite but soon peel them open as a light bubble around me. A purple light.