The face tells me two things at a glance, this body is male and is definitely not human. The eyes are twice the size of a human's, the nose is just a pair of slits, there is no hair anywhere, and the teeth are sharp. Overall it looks like a primitive and violent species, at least from what is left.

The eyes are gone, long since dried up, and I am judging based on the eye sockets. The teeth are overly prominent, but that is because the lips have also dried up. Considering the state of the body it is too early to make any judgements.

Lin says "It sure is ugly. What now?"

"I'm not sure. Krenocia? If you are free, could you send an avatar here?"

Krenocia says "Alright. Give me a minute."

All of us just continue to stare at the body as we wait for Krenocia to show up. Out of curiosity I try to take a look at the armor, but it comes up as all question marks. That means it is made from a material that is too powerful for me to identify.

Krenocia says "Alright, what's going on? Where are we? Ash, you really invite me to some interesting places."

"We are in a cave under a jungle on an island to the north of the main continent. You should already know that, haven't you been watching me?"

Krenocia says "Not recently, it is my sister's turn right now. So, what do you need me for?"

Instead of answering I just point at the body and wait while Krenocia takes a look at it. At first she just glances at it and turns back to me, but then her head snaps around to face it. She then stares at the body intently as she moves closer while muttering to herself.

"So, now do you see why I called you?"

Krenocia says "Yes, but I think you are going to be disappointed."

"Why do you say that?"

Krenocia says "Because I do not recognize this race, nor do I recognize the energy that is suppressing it."

"That's fine, I wasn't expecting specifics. What can you tell me?"

Krenocia says "Well, the energy is definitely from a god, but one I don't know. The god is definitely evil, and is focused on the nastier aspects of death like corpses and decomposition. The armor it is wearing was made by a god, so he was probably someone's champion."

"Alright. Anything else? Like the corruption?"

Krenocia says "The corruption is just a by-product of the energy trying to break down his body. The fact that the body is still alive means he is probably an immortal."

"You mean he is a deity?!"

Krenocia says "No, he is not a god, I would be able to tell. There are other beings who can be immortal, such as demi-gods. Strong enough gods can bestow immortality, he might have been a mortal who received such a reward."

"So, if we unseal him, the corruption will stop. Do you think we should unseal him?"

Krenocia says "No! Why do you always want to unseal things? Why can't you just leave things alone?"

"Two reasons. One, because I am curious about him. Two, because I want to put a stop to the corruption."

Krenocia says "You can stop the corruption by just destroying the body. That would be much, much safer."

"But that wouldn't satisfy my curiosity!"

Krenocia says "Why, oh why couldn't I have found something besides a cat to put you in?!"

"Maybe it was the only thing that would truly suit me?"

Krenocia says "You realize that this is not something I can help you with? If he is hostile, you will have to fight him on your own."

"I am aware of that, but I do have a question. Is there a method to kill an immortal?"

Krenocia says "Normally, no, but you might be able to. If you can destroy his body completely and then absorb his life spark, it should truly kill him. How do you plan to deal with the seal?"

"I was planning to let Albion purify the energy that is sealing him. Not only will it remove the seal, but Albion will get stronger."

Krenocia says "Alright, I won't try to stop you. I will be watching and will offer advice if needed, but that is all I can do."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. We will be careful."

Krenocia says "Just keep in mind that you aren't alone anymore. Their lives depend on you now."

"I know. That isn't something that I can forget."

Krenocia smiles at everyone and disappears, but I can feel her and Seronia both watching. I have everyone spread out and get ready, then I tell Albion to try to cleanse the energy. He lowers his horn until it touches the symbol on the chest of the body's armor.

When his horn makes contact with the symbol the light flashes blindingly and then goes dark. I quickly create a few hovering flames to provide light for everyone else. Albion looks alright, just exhausted, but there is still smoke coming from the symbol.

The amount of smoke has decreased, but when I scan the body I find that only about twenty percent of the energy was removed. That means that Albion probably needs to do this at least four more times. However, he obviously needs to rest and recover before he can do it again.

His horn on the other hand has grown about an inch and when I scan him I find that he is already rank seven. He could reach rank ten or close to it by the time he has cleansed all of the energy. That would make him the highest ranked out of all the kids, even Kechara is only rank nine.

At least she was the last time I checked, it is possible that she has ranked up since then. I really should find some time to focus on ranking up so I can figure out what comes next. That way I should be able to help all of my kids become even stronger.

Albion says "Food please."

Lin says "Oh, of course. Here you go."

Brightfire says "Does this mean that it didn't work?"

"No, it worked. It is just that it only removed around twenty percent of the energy. It will take a few more times to completely remove it. That isn't too surprising, after all the seal was made by a god."

Brightfire says "Are we just going to sit here and wait?"

"Yes. I don't plan to leave Albion alone down here and you can't explore the jungle without having him along to deal with the plants."

Brightfire says "Alright. I was just asking."

She then convinces Nala to lay down so that she can sit and use Nala as a backrest. Nala is fine with it since she gets pets and scratches in return which she will never turn down. Our only choice at this point is to sit around and wait for Albion to recover.