'I can't believe it managed to grow. Despite having most of its vines cut and scorched. The Soulthorn Vine that led to me meeting Aidan... I was almost certain it would have died. This just proves how resilient life forms are in this forest. But if I have already found this tree, then the location of the spatial rift must be close.'
Kharon let go of the vine as it quickly recoiled in fear. The tree seemed to tremble under Kharon's gaze, as its roots moved backwards. Seeing this, Kharon laughed as he walked closer to the tree's trunk and patted it. The hard, rigid bark felt rough against his hands as he released some aether into the tree.
As he did this, the tree began changing as its trunk grew bigger and darker. A few more vines began to grow as the leaves multiplied. The buttress roots began to elongate as they moved across an even wider area.
'Soulthorn Vines don't usually receive the aether of tier 4 wielders. But if they do, then they go through quite a change. I am curious to see how this tree will keep growing. It can technically be considered mine now since I fed it. Maybe I should mark it as mine.'
Kharon patted the tree as he asked, "Do you want to become my plant? I promise you will receive some aether when I ascend to tier 3. So you won't mind me marking you right?"
After saying this, a single vine descended from the tree as it gently coiled around Kharon. It softly held it as he whispered, "I will take that as a yes." Kharon began drawing a few runes as they danced around in the air. Their bright shimmer seemed to attract the attention of other plants as the whole area shone. After a few seconds Kharon sent the dancing runes into the tree.
They were swiftly absorbed by the tree as a few complex symbols appeared at the bottom of the tree. Suddenly, the tree began to morph as its leaves turned white-grey as the tree trunk and branches turned even darker. But despite this, the complex runes could still be seen as they emitted a faint glow.
'Writing my name changed the tree's nature? I read about this somewhere... right? Plants and creatures can change if they are named with runes. But the runes in question have to be quite powerful. I used a few ancient runes, but for someone using basic arcana they would need a massive tapestry. The language of the world is runes. Or at least the original ones. I am almost certain that my winged self and the eye in the rift used it. During their domain battle in my dream...'
Kharon looked at his tree as he smiled.
"I have inscribed my name, but I haven't given you one yet. So, I will name you Silvaen. Do you like the name?"
As he said this, a little stream of aether left him as it flew towards the tree. The vine coiled around Kharon's waist a little tighter as it picked him up. Kharon smiled as he was brought to the very top of the tree. He looked around as he noticed his vantage point and smiled.
"I didn't realise that inscribing my name and then naming you would have this effect. But I am glad I did. But I wonder, will you gain any powers from this."
The tree reacted by suddenly vanishing. Kharon looked downwards as he saw the ground below his feet. He tried to reach for the tree's branches but as he did, he only felt empty space.
'It has gained what seems to be a weaker version of Veiling and Phantom Step. That is quite intriguing. I wish I could spend more time studying its abilities. But I should return to my mission.'
"Place me back down. I need to return to my task. But I promise I will come back soon. Once I find the opening to the spatial rift..."
Kharon was slowly lowered as he tapped his tree once again. But as he did, a faint stream of aether began to flow from the tree. Seeing this, Kharon followed it as it flowed around the forest. It suddenly halted as if an invisible force was blocking its path. Kharon outstretched his hand as he felt it.
'Spatial distortion. This must be the location. But how am I meant to return to the mausoleum? And if I manage to get in, how will I leave...? My winged self really-'
A sudden flash startled Kharon as he felt himself falling. He expected the soft, moist feeling of the forest's soil. But instead his head landed on a hard, cool surface. His eyes slowly widened as he looked up. The familiar inscriptions on the dark stone walls caught his attention as he whispered, "I am back here."
Kharon slowly lifted himself from the ground as he looked around. He quickly noticed a crater in the ground with scorch marks as he smiled. A few meters away, he saw a little book on the ground. He quickly ran to it and picked it up. The dark grimoire immediately reacted to his touch as its pages flipped open and words began appearing one by one.
"I have been waiting for your return, young master. You have returned to find the ritual for your ascension to tier 3. To find it, you must find a way to unseal me. But you must not unseal me completely. There is knowledge which must never be revealed until you are strong enough to handle it."
'This book seems more self aware and sentient than before. And how did it know I would return? Was it premade to say these words? As I learn about my past, my life feels more and more like a puppet show. But who is the one pulling the strings?'
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind as he thought, 'The lady in my dream... the spider... Strings, silk, threads, they are the same thing. Could it be that my very fate has been tampered with? But who would go to such extremes to make sure I stay on track? And why?'
Kharon sighed as he placed his hand on his head. The throbbing headache which was threatening to worsen began to subside as Kharon turned his attention to the task at hand.
'I have to unseal the grimoire to get my tier 3 ritual. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Especially because I have to partially unseal it. If I start now, then I should be done before the sunset.'
Saying this, Kharon checked his bracelet before pulling out a few parchments. He began to work as his fingers glided on the leather pages and drew intricate designs. The symbols began to break free of the parchment as they floated up in the air. They moved gracefully as they danced in unison. Kharon quickly became engrossed in his work as hours flew by.
Kharon occasionally picked up the grimoire as he analysed every angle and edge. Hundreds of runes were spiralling around him as they filled the mausoleum with a bright light. As the last few runes rose up into the air and joined their fellow comrades. Kharon sighed as he brought his hands together. The runes slowly coalesced into a grand tapestry before rushing into the dark grimoire.
Once a third of them had been absorbed, Kharon stopped the remaining runes. A few more of them finalised the weave as the grimoire sprang open. The remaining runes began to slowly dissipate as they disintegrated into a shower of faint sparks.
'I got carried away with that runeweave. Well it's better than losing my concentration and making a mistake. I would rather not be... unsealed? I am curious what would happen if the runeweave was to backfire on me. I shouldn't get carried away though.'
Kharon stretched his whole body as he heard a few cracks. He quickly picked up the grimoire as he began reading its contents.
"To ascend to tier 3, you must make what was once unknown, known. Whether bringing back an archaic word, a relic of the past or a secret from aeons ago. You must spread this knowledge alone and make sure it is known and believed to be true by a whole city. Once this is done, you must enter a serene state before carrying out the rest of the ritual."
'Considering how little I actually know about the past, this might be hard. Do I have to spread the knowledge orally or can I write it down? What happens if someone else begins to spread the message before or after me? There are so many unknown variables. The chances of failure are so much higher than before. The prerequisite isn't too hard, it's the actual execution of the ritual.'
As Kharon's mind spiralled out of control, a few more words began to appear. Kharon read them quietly as they said, "You need to be the first one to spread the knowledge. Even if someone has tried to do so before, if they weren't taken seriously then you will be safe. And once you spread the message, if it gets picked up by others you wouldn't be negatively affected. But the risk is still immense."