The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 84] SARAH: Livra

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Under a midday sun, Sarah stood in the clearing facing the shimmering veil. Orange leaves fell all about her, carried by a chilly breeze. Winter is coming early.

Despite doing their best to track down and apprehend Fang ninjas, new passageways to Mount Gull kept opening. Valance had fallen, and they’d been forced to retreat repeatedly. That wasn’t an option this time. The nearby city of Livra was in the midst of receiving refugees from the Twisted Lands, so this threat had to be neutralized.

The simplest way to deal with rifts was to seal them so nothing could get through. This was the method Astra had elected around Messanic, where so much of the region was locked in an ice shelf it was causing the temperature to drop.

Here in Tulven, Jayden had entombed several rifts in gemstone prisons, but he could only maintain so many of these. He’d been close to his limit when this one had appeared, so Sarah had proposed another solution based on recent discoveries.

The claws carried by Fang ninjas were part of a sublime vagary belonging to Kaygren. The celestial tiger had a long history carving holes in reality to assault human settlements. The portals they created were different than others found in tethered realms.

Ordinarily, when a sovereign ripped their way to someplace on Enera, a representation of the landmark at that location appeared in their realm, serving as the keystone for the rift. If it could be destroyed, it’d sever the connection.

When a Fang ninja activated a claw, it’d cross over the Mount Gull and fly off, growing three feet in size and burying itself in the ground half a mile away. Locating and shattering this keystone would collapse the associated rift.

Through reading the strands of fate, Sarah had determined an attempt to do so here would be a success. Since she couldn’t participate herself due to Astra’s curse, she was left waiting for the others to return.

Without warning, the rift faded away, and four figures stood in front of her. “The reports were accurate.” Jayden said. “Once the claw is broken, everyone around it is transported back.”

“Everything went smoothly? Sarah asked.

Jayden nodded. “As predicted, they weren’t expecting us.”

“Thank you.” Sarah smiled. “You’ve insured Livra’s safety for a while longer.”

“I’m just following through with what I signed up for.” Jayden answered. The ninja had apparently swapped roles with the immortal the Adventurer’s guild had sent to back up Adele Barsal. That person was assisting the Hearth Lord in his stead.

They returned to Libra, passing the tent city set up beyond the walls. Sarah went straight to the tallest building, a cathedral of Idia, and surveyed the scene. Under the watchful eyes of giant blue crabs, trails of people were still flooding in from the Twisted Lands. Several groups of cultivators had raided Rosaria to recuperate its summon generators, and some of these had been deployed here.

“You came up here again.” Ashley joining her on the roof. The saint had continued acting as her attendant since Valance.

“It’s easier to scry the future from a high central location.” Sarah stated. “How are the evacuations proceeding?”

“Demonic beasts overwhelmed another settlement before they could be moved.” Ashley responded. “About a thousand were lost.”

“That’s unfortunate…” Sarah wasn’t sure how to feel at this news. While she didn’t wish an ill fate on the inhabitant of the Twisted Lands, she was struggling to save her own people. All the newcomers were increasing the burden.

“The last evacuees will arrive tomorrow.” Ashley added. “None too soon really. We’ve lost a lot of ground in the last few days, and the return of the cultivators will bolster our defenses.”

“About them… Still no issues on that front?” Sarah asked tentatively. The large contingent of saints from the cultivating realm was the main reason Tulven hadn’t been overrun. She couldn’t help but be apprehensive at such good fortune.

“Not really, they continue to provide invaluable support.” Ashley answered. “I’ll let you know if anything comes up once I check in with Pang’an again.” Pang’an was the oath taker coordinating cultivator activity in Tulven, working with adventurer’s guild to hand out their quests.

“Anything else I should be aware of?” Sarah asked.

Ashley hesitated, “I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning with everything going on, but refugees claim three children have gone missing.”

Sarah frowned. “Did this happen after they reached Libra?”

“Apparently, yes.” Ashley confirmed.

Damn… It wouldn’t be surprising if some degenerate took advantage of the situation. On the other hand, it was hard to justify an investigation for three disappearance among tens of thousands. They could simply be lost.

“Let me know if more are reported.” Sarah decided.

A familiar figure crossed the town heading their way, and Light landed beside them. Dressed in his usual black shinobi gear, he towered over them. Has he grown taller again?

The young man addressed them. “I heard the story of what happened at the docks when you reached Torris. You used your magic to determine who came from Rosaria. Is this true?”

“It is.” Sarah admitted. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I need your help. Please come with me.” Light jumped away. Confused, they followed.

They stopped outside the gates where a large shadow wolf was growling at a group of frightened refugees. “What’s going on here?” Sarah demanded.

Nonplussed, Light gestured to his familiar. “Since we’ve been cracking down on infiltration attempts, I figured fang ninjas might try changing their approach. That’s why I’ve been having Kuro sniff new arrivals. This lot has the faint stink of Mount Gull on them. Could you check if there’s anyone who doesn’t belong?”

I understand now. Sighing, Sarah clasped miracle Worker and concentrated. She felt the strands of fate of those before her, how they all flowed back to a small village far away. Carefully she searched for one not like the others. Found it.

Opening her eyes, she looked towards a frail old man in the middle. “It’s him.” She pointed with her staff.

The old man’s eyes suddenly went sharp, and a dark cloud enveloped him. A Fang shinobi leapt out, escaping towards the Twisted Lands.

“Iron sand trap.” Light called out coldly. Dark tendrils shot up from the earth, grabbing the enemy ninja and dragging him underground. The surface swirled and then went still.

“Perhaps we should have apprehended him…” Sarah offered weakly.

Light shook his head. “He wouldn’t have talked, and, even if he did, such a low level shinobi wouldn’t provide any valuable intel.”

“Beside,” His voice dropped. “These are traitors who have forsaken humanity. They have the blood of thousands on their hands.”

Truthfully, Sarah knew all this. The source of her unease was the sinister energy coursing through Light’s right shoulder. She’d felt it before, but it’d had flared viciously up when he’d executed the Fang ninja.

“Thank you for your aid.” Light said politely before taking off.

Sarah watched him go, “I should speak to Jayden.”

She found the immortal shinobi resting above Livra’s command center. “Sorry to disturb you, but I’d like to discuss Light’s shoulder.”

Jayden nodded. “I’m not surprised you sensed it.”

“What is it and how did it happen?” She asked.

“One of light’s teammates sacrificed herself to save him on a reconnaissance outing he’d suggested. The death affected him greatly.” Jayden explained. “Following the instructions in Salazar’s book of curses, he performed a ritual at the Transcendent Altar in Messanic and marked his body with the cursed seal of power. It was both a form of punishment and an attempt to erase his perceived powerlessness.”

“How does it work?” Sarah pressed. “And should I be worried?” Curses always had a price and often corroded the mind.

“The cursed seal of power is the type that affects the body, strengthening the recipient by robbing them of their future. You should’ve noticed how much Light has aged. He’s almost nineteen after only a month.”

“So it’s a danger to no one but himself…” Sarah interpreted. That was one less worry to fret about.

“Does Astra know?” Sarah asked. This would be something she’d need to report, lest she risk the guildmaster’s wrath.

“Yes.” Jayden confirmed. “She was none too pleased with me when she found out. I’m working hard to get back in her good graces.”

“Wait, so she’s not doing anything about it?” Sarah was surprised.

“The process of removing the curse would take Light out of action for months at this critical time. Besides, it makes him stronger, and he needs to grow older before becoming immortal. The accelerating aging will stop then anyway.”

“Almost sounds like a win-win scenario,” Sarah said. “What’s the catch?”

“The curse is also reducing Light’s life expectancy, hastening his destined death. Immortality does nothing to prevent this. What’s more, if he reaches the wall with the curse, it can never be undone.”

Sarah scowled. “Isn’t that a death sentence then?”

“No,” Jayden sighed. “Many immortals have suffered from such afflictions. There are methods of mitigating the ill affects, such as visiting cleansing pools in dungeons.”

“Light will have to deal with consequence of his actions later. For now, let’s appreciate his increased effectiveness.”