Unbound-Chapter Nine Hundred And Ninety Four – 994

Atop the Atlantes Anima, nestled in the crux between vast branches, Vess sat. Her back was straight, her core tightened, as she breathed among the crystalline chrysalises of her Hatchlings. They spread around, ninety-nine of them, studding the pale bark like gemstone barnacles. A faint power spread among them, ambient and soft, threading between the chrysalises like the most gossamer of spiderwebs.

The wind sighed through the boughs, creating a hollow, mournful music that was belied by the distant rush of excitement far below. Vess could clearly feel the town celebrating thousands of strides away, from the base of the Foot to the Scale District. Their festival had been going on for at least a day and had no signs of slowing down.

Vess was happy to let them revel. Too soon they would learn what the inner council already knew. Then, there would be little joy until things were over.

One way or another.

She breathed deeply, settling back into position with her legs crossed and arms loose upon her knees. The chill air of her high elevation warmed in her chest as she held it, only to expel a fogcloud. It congealed before her, thicker than mere exhalation, sparking with muted thunder. Mana had joined her breath out of her skull Gate, mingling freely with every puff, until the clouds began to swirl around her. Wind caressed them, spinning them into thin streamers as Vess sought the calm at her center. She still remembered her mother’s voice when she’d taught Vess Meditation, the warmth of it as much of the words.

Still the Mind.

Her Mind was clear—it was her Spirit that was in turmoil. Vess had faced death many times in her life, but none had been so close as at the hands of the Hierophant. She could still feel the touch of that woman's magic—the burn of it—as much as the acidic, paralyzing fear. Falling through the Omen Door hadn’t been enough to escape Marzul, and for a terrible moment Vess had thought it all over. When she’d kicked the door shut, she’d passed out from relief as much as her wounds.

Still, those were muted things. Her time on the Omen Path had given her a new perspective on pain and fear. The thought of the Hierophant and her power no longer made Vess flinch. Far worse, now it made her rage.

Still the heart.

The words of Miera Dayne steadied her. Vess quelled her anger as best she could, squeezing it tight—but that only made it slip through her fingers. Omen Paths could manifest in many ways, but they never lied. That was a surety known far and wide. What hers had shown her at the tournament in Andiva was a truth she would have heard herself had things turned a little differently. The Hierophant had killed her mother for saving the people from a monster. A duty that the Hierophant should have rewarded her for was met with summary execution.

No.

Vess’ Spirit flared. Wrath overflowed her grip on it, surging across her Aspects until warmth suffused her skin and her Mind traced out tactics for the deepest jungles. She was unwilling to tame her anger. She wished to hone it instead—to point it like a spear toward her enemy’s throat. To do anything else would taint her mother’s memory.

Vengeance, said a voice in her Mind, thick with the liquor of sleep. I dreamed of it. Of a jungle, steeped in blood.

Vess’ anger diffused at the sound of her Companion’s voice. “Are you a Seer now, Yin?”

Perhaps. Or perhaps our bond burns brighter. Release me. I am ready.

Wind and light flared from Vess’ breast, casting all else into stark shadow before it cleared. Clouds swirled, thrust aside to make room for the bulk of a serpentine form. Yintarion stepped free of the light, clad in rippling wind as he stood carefully amid the Hatchlings.

"You have changed.”

"Our Path took its toll, but it was one I was happy to pay. I am more than a Dawn Drake now.” Yin raised his massive head high, chin lifted with obvious pride. “I am a Dawn Wyrm.”

Vess couldn’t help but marvel at Yin’s new form. It resembled his Drake Evolution only superficially, which in turn had looked like his Wyrmling Body. Yin was more slender now, still muscled beneath his scales, but lithe in a way Vess couldn’t quite describe. Certainly far longer. Had she stood, she imagined he would measure at least a hundred paces from snout to whipcord tail, and that length was propped up on not two but four sets of legs. Each powerful limb was tipped by a wide paw tipped with five claws—up from his previous four as a Drake. A strip of white mane stretched from his head down to his tail, which was tufted as if by pieces of cloud. Scales the color of morning sunlight through heavy fog shifted before her, catching the late afternoon light on their edges and casting glittering reflections all across the Spirit Tree. His antlers were bright as diamonds and twice as clear, with enough prongs to put any stag to shame. Fangs the size of swords jutted from his snout, which bore a regal moustache and goatee of that same cloud-white. It was, all in all, a refinement of the Drake form, sleeker and more powerful in every way.

Yin posed, the muscles beneath his scales rippling with every movement.

"You've gained a great deal of Agility, Strength, and Vitality from your Evolution. Quite a few levels too," Vess smiled as she perused his notifications. "It seems both of our stats are growing fast, especially if we keep gaining levels as we have been. But this is not your final form, is it?"

"No, I have not yet reached my proper Evolution. One more remains, so long as the Green Wilds and our Bargain with the Grim Nightshade holds fast.”

Vess ran a hand down Yin’s neck. His scales were refreshingly cool “How do we reach it?"

"My diet is saturated, my Bargain is strong, and our Bond is potent. All that remains is our Core Manifestation. I dreamed of it, little Dragoon. The shape of it eludes me, but I know it is powerful. It is the final piece of the puzzle for my true advancement. More, if we are lucky.”

“More?"

"All of the patriarchs and matriarchs of my kin granted bonuses to those we chose to Bond. Indeed, it was the inevitable Fate of all touched by something so potent as a true Dragon.”

“Then all of the Dragoons of legend…”

“The greatest of your order were never simply Humans, Elves or Orcs. All of them carried within them a piece of the Green Wilds and the blood of Dragons. Those that deepened their Bond the most were granted greater benefits, though with equal risks."

Vess understood. A Bond was a blade that cut at them both, even as it defended their lives. To lose Yin…she was unsure if she would survive. "You said you dreamed of it, the Core Manifestation. Can you feel it? It involves us both.”

“Yes. My dreams cast me down a long corridor.” Yin hesitated. “I recall my previous Manifestation with Rana."

Vess stood up, abandoning her meditation pose. "The Orc Paragon you were Bonded to. I remember her."

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"So you do," Yin sighed. "Our Manifestation was not so useful in battle. It was a boost to Agility and Endurance, designed for long, swift flights. We had nothing like the Shadowgates then, and travel was the biggest hurdle in the performance of our duties.”

“What duties?"

"Scouting and logistics. Paragon Rana was a woman of great resolve and character, but she was not a fighter." Yin smiled to himself. It was a soft expression, one that Vess had not seen often on his face. "She was the resolute Mind, and I was the stout Body.”

“You have remembered much. Was it your Evolution that improved your memory?"

"Yes, I think it was. That and the Omen Path. Its winding ways seemed to find resonance within me, and though our last fight is blurred, I think a piece of the Path’s power lingered in my Mind. The long Ages of enslavement have dulled their edges, but the shape of my memories is clearer than ever before." Yin tilted his head. "I can all but hear the question in your Mind, little Dragoon. Ask."

"Your Bond with Rana. When she died, how did you survive?"

Yin sat back, his tail curling through the chrysalises all around them. "I fear I didn't. My fall into that abyss where the sliver of Noctis coiled against my soul would not have been so effective had I been truly alive. Death does not affect Dragons in the same way as mortals. For you, it is the plunge into the dark depths. But for us, it is the easing into a silvered shoreline, slow and measured, with a horizon that draws ever nearer. Unless we meet a violent end."

Vess couldn't help the soft lilt of her spirit as she thought on Rana and the ages of crushing loneliness that followed. It called to mind all the risks Yin was taking for her. She wanted to hug the enormous worm's neck, but restrained herself. He would be embarrassed by that.

Yin cleared his throat. "As for my final Evolution, it will be different than what I once was. Previously, I was a Dusk Dragon. That is what you met in Khasma, after the Fathom was destroyed. Its shape was informed by my Bond with Rana, by the traditions of our people, and by the limitations of my power."

"The old legends say the Dusk Dragons were the pinnacle of your Race.”

“Legends. Mmm,” Yin rumbled. “It is clear since my awakening that knowledge does not last forever. Time—more than war, death, or Ruin itself—grinds all to dust.”

“What lies beyond the Dusk?" It was a question that Vess had long wished to put to her Companion. "What do you hope to become?"

"Something beyond Legendary, little Dragoon. I am reaching for the highest Evolution known to my kind. All of the pieces are in place, and once our Core Manifestation settles into a true Skill, then I can attempt the final step.”

“Then that is what we will do." Vess set her palm against Yin’s snout, and the big Wyrm leaned into her. “Stand together.”

“Until the end.”

"Sounds like a great plan."

Vess screamed, but her Mana surged. Two dozen spears manifested around her and Yin whirled with a snarl that vibrated the very leaves. No more than twenty paces away, Felix stood amid the heavy emerald of Atlantes.

“How—?” Vess hadn't sensed him at all.

“Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare.”

"How did you do that?" Yin’s mustache quivered with a deep inhale. "You bear no scent. No presence. Were I unable to see you, it would be like you were not even there, Emperor."

Felix tipped his head back, staring up at the criss-crossing branches of his Spirit Tree. "I think it's because I'm everywhere.”

“Explain, please.”

“I am my Authority, I think. It's a strange thing, this understanding that's percolating through me." Felix tapped his chest. "Through here. I barely know the words I'm saying until I've said them, but they're true. My Authority is me, and I extend from border to border. Adding my Empyrean Regalia has only amplified the effect. But I think I can only really vanish here, in my capital, where my Authority is strongest.”

“You are the very air we breathe,” Yin said with a measure of wonder. “That borders on the domain of spirits.”

“Like the Grim?” Felix asked, looking a little shocked when Yin gave a reluctant nod. “Huh. That’s…weird.”

"Indeed," Vess said with a small smile. She could tell the man was ready to dive into the topic and knowing her Companion, Yin would readily join him for glasses. Time they did not have. "Why have you come here? I thought you were prepping for your journey."

"I was, until our friend reached out." He patted the Tree. "Atlantes gave me some good news. The Hatchlings are ready."

Vess’ breath caught and Yin all but fell back. The huge Dawn Wyrm shuffled in a circle, casting his golden gaze across the hardened chrysalises all around them.

“Is this true? Are you—is it time?” he asked them, his breath hot against their shard-like, faceted sides. He jerked his gaze back to Felix. “How might I help? Do they need Dragonfire? The Essence of a high Tier monster?”

“Peace, Yin,” Vess soothed him, one hand pressed against his side. “Felix. What must we do?”

Her love folded his hands behind his back. "I need your consent.”

"Consent for what?"

"For Atlantes to speed along the process."

"You said they were ready. Why would they need quickening?" Yin looked up from the nearest chrysalis, a faint shadow of a shape trembling within. "Are they in danger?”

“No. The Tree—”

“This would not hurt them, would it?"

"Not according to Atlantes. He says they are at the cusp, but that they need a final push. It’s…a little hard to get full meaning out of a plant, but his Intent is clear enough. They need both of you to make this work."

Yin swallowed. “My fear swells, Emperor. These are the last of my kin. I will do what I must. I consent.”

Vess’ mouth had dried at some point, and her tongue felt like leather. “I—you have my consent as well. Take care of them, Felix."

He put his hand out, and she took it. His scales were smooth and warm to the touch. "Guide me.”

She wasn't sure what Felix did then, but a presence surrounded him. Her first instinct was to shy away, but the feel of it was no different than the man before her—as if Felix were somehow expanding across the space despite not moving a muscle. Power shifted like an unseen wind. It hummed through Felix's hand, tracing pathways in his potent flesh before it flowed out through the soles of his feet and into the tree around them. Leaves rustled, flowers opening their petals with a rustling that sparked with song, each a different note just beyond true hearing. The boughs creaked, and through his hand, Vess caught flashes of images of ripening fruit and leaves sprouting from new branches.

Felix twisted something, moving his Authority. The Atlantes Anima responded. Those images flared, washing through Vess and from the way Yin grunted, they struck him as well.

"I'm going to add my power to it," Felix muttered, before shaping waves of elemental Mana out of his soles. Fire and water, shadow and light, earth, air—life itself. It soaked into the bark, the Atlantes absorbing vast quantities of the foundational elements of the Green Wilds without so much as a char mark.

In her breast, Vess found an answering echo that radiated through her limbs. Beside her, Yin lit up like the morning sun as he too shook with the sweet, duplicitous song of the Green Wilds. It was violence sheathed in transcendent calm. A vestige of the Grim Nightshade, and evidence of their Bargain.

“He is present,” Yin said. “He watches us from the Green.”

The Link between Vess and Felix flashed, more vast than ever before. It felt as if a wide river rushed through the both of them, not just through her hand, but through the deepest part of themselves. Beyond its banks, through Felix, she could feel the Tree itself. The branch and root, bark and leaf, every piece of it all at once. It was too much.

The nudge of dark hands guided her away from that current—to the chrysalises and the Hatchlings within. A flush of potency poured through her and Yin, rolling outward into Felix and the Atlantes, before it swelled across every Hatchling at once.

The Grove Wardens Resonate With The Path Of The First Dragon!

The Grove Wardens Resonate With The Dawn Wyrm Evolution!

The Grove Wardens Resonate With Soulfight Union!

The Grove Wardens Resonate With Draconic Legacy!

Authority Increased!

Skill Rarity Upgraded!

Level Up Bonuses Increased!

Soulflight Union is level 116!

…

Soulflight Union is level 122!

Notifications stacked upon one another, deeper by the moment as bells rang with increasing fervor—until the air broke like glass.

Vess opened her eyes as the first chrysalis shattered.