The group reached the Spire in no time.

Uriel hopped off Emrys’ back first, and the others followed. The small fox then shrunk down to his usual form and leapt up to nestle himself on Uriel’s head.

Though the man didn’t have his luscious and fluffy hair anymore, it would do.

"..."

Uriel stopped mere inches away from the Spire, feeling the flowing waves of aether that danced with the pulsating runes etched across the crystal.

Looking at the Spire, he confirmed another theory he’d had.

’They were using Kael as a sort of experiment, but also as a Will-based formation that sealed the Spire itself. Every single person in the city is a node, and Kael is the heart of the formation.’

He frowned. ’But... why?’

Beyond the fact that this was a level of magic he hadn’t even known was possible, he didn’t understand the purpose.

As he understood it, the Will formation they’d made using the puppets and Kael’s Will, spread across said puppets, didn’t really seal the Spire itself.

He almost couldn’t put it into words, but...

’The formation changes the nature of the Spire? They’re using Kael’s Will and Soul, and the cores of all puppets, as a sort of... terraforming device?’

He knew that the Spire would lead him back to Ithuril’s tutorial dungeon, and he knew that it had challenges they’d have to complete, but he also knew that at the top of the Spire...

’The Sacred Beasts...’

He couldn’t help but think back to the encounter that had led to him entering the Wildlands. His battle with the white-robed guardians, the depictions on the gate, the sealed beasts, and the Serpent he’d fought—who had called him a traitor.

None of it seemed truly linked. But when he joined the truths of Kael to it all... he was starting to see a picture being painted.

But he couldn’t see it clearly yet.

’The question, though, is if this will come to harm me and the others at some point? Or if this is one of their plans?’

He didn’t know. And to know, he’d have to meet with Enoch and Ayah once again.

The three of them were long overdue for a serious conversation.

"Hey!" Samael called out as Korynth helped him carry the coffin and bring it over to the Spire. "They’re coming! We need to get moving!"

Uriel nodded.

With a wave of his hand, he brought out the blue heart he’d used to incapacitate Kael while in the hall.

He didn’t know why, but his instincts told him that under no circumstances should he enter the Spire while it was under the effect of that formation.

He didn’t know if it was Ophanis speaking to him, his Sin and past emotions, or something deeper—but he trusted it.

SHI!

He burnt the heart to ash with his ivory flames, but more than that, he used his Will to crush the shard of Kael’s broken Will within.

And just like that, with one of the formation’s nodes shattered—

WHOOOSH!

—the entire formation crumbled into an unstable mess.

All civilians across the city collapsed unconscious, twitching as the sliver of Will within them, which belonged to Kael, tore out of their bodies and rushed to return to their original owner.

Uriel smiled. ’You can’t say I didn’t help.’

Kael was about to regain all that he’d lost, just as the brothers reached him. The level of the breakthrough he was about to have would be beyond words.

And Uriel did not want to be around for that.

"Let’s go!"

He placed his palm on the Spire just as the formation shattered, and immediately, he felt a link form between him and it.

[Access Authorised!]

Seas of spatial aether wrapped around the group.

[Enter the Spire of Forgotten Forgery?]

[Yes/No?]

Uriel clicked on yes, and the group vanished.

...

"..."

They were teleported away.

But unlike every other time Uriel had been teleported in the past, he found himself half-conscious, feeling his form traverse across an endless world of blue currents.

He blurred across space, flashing by what he assumed to be stars and worlds, but for some reason, he also sped past sparkling seas and gigantic continents.

His mind was so hazy that he didn’t know if a second had passed, or a year, or a month, or a mere moment—it all blurred into a singular instant.

And then—

BANG!

—they reached their destination.

Uriel staggered on his feet, disoriented and dazed, falling to his knees and feeling extremely out of breath. He felt incredibly tired and heavy, as if he’d been trekking up a tall and steep mountain for years on end.

Still, he focused, and as his jaw tightened, he observed the place they’d landed in.

’Hm.’

The sky was blue, and the grass green, stretching for as far as the eye could see. It was incredibly flat, with no hills, valleys, or rivers.

The winds that swept across the plain were soft and gentle, and the light of the sun was warm and tender, akin to the thick clouds that lazily drifted across the sky.

And in the far distance—so far Uriel could barely believe it—there was a gigantic portal that swirled with tame silver currents, entirely out of place in the world, like a gash in the fabric of reality, yet somehow harmonious with it all nonetheless.

Uriel exhaled and stood to his feet. ’Looks like the settlement a bit.’ He paused for a moment. ’Ah, man. I wonder why we never visited the plains outside the main camp.’

’All that wasted greenery.’

Though he thought so, Uriel could easily find a reason why. Back then, after Thoryl had made an example of all humans who had tried to escape—with their corpses strewn across the plains—most people had been put off by it.

Plus, with the Guide’s foul temper, who knew what he’d do if they left the bounds of the settlement?

’I miss it a bit.’ Uriel sighed, then shelved the thought.

He turned to find both Korynth and Samael passed out beside the large coffin they’d been carrying. Beside them, the Mirage stood tall, entirely unbothered.

Uriel gave the creature a glance, still a bit unused to it, then made his way to the unconscious duo. He knelt beside Samael and placed a hand on his forehead.

Then, he did the same for Korynth.

’The teleportation process burned all the aether in their cores and wore their bodies down, but they should be fine.’

He couldn’t help but find it curious.

’I wonder if this is a novel form of teleportation, or if it’s due to something else. That could be interesting.’

He could easily infer that the reason he hadn’t passed out was a direct result of his seven gigantic cores, each overflowing with oceans of aether.

By now, he doubted even second-step ascendants could contend with him, whether in sheer quantity or pure quality.

’Why the hell am I thinking about...’ He shook his head and refocused again.

He stood back up, then looked around once more. His gaze settled on the portal in the distance. ’I guess that’s our destination.’

"Emrys," he called out.

"Kih?" The small fox, still nestled on his head and untouched by the effects of the teleportation process, stirred, his tails flickering to life.

"Are you tired?"

"No!"

"Do you mind taking us there then? To the—"

Uriel’s gaze narrowed.

He was looking straight at the portal, and there was nothing between him and it. The plain was entirely empty apart from them.

And yet, as he blinked, the faint outline of a figure formed in front of him, a mere inch away, the figure’s stark blue eyes staring into his soul.

He could barely see them—their form translucent, like a mass of spatial aether and folded mirrors—but he could see them nonetheless.

"Hello?" he said as he took a step back, creating distance.

Though his eyes were narrowed, he was particularly... calm.

"How... did you see me?" the figure asked. Its voice was light and androgynous, as calm as a tranquil ocean.

Uriel crossed his arms over his chest. "I don’t know. You just kind of... appeared. Maybe your presence bent space too much," he admitted.

The figure nodded. "Are you not scared? I could’ve killed you. You and your friends."

Uriel rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, of course."

The figure seemed perplexed by his words. "You... ran from those chasing after you in the Lands of the Wild, so you must cherish your life."

Their gaze landed on the unconscious group behind him.

"Or at the very least, you care about theirs. So why are you not afraid?"

Uriel didn’t really understand why the figure was so hell-bent on this topic.

He could almost instantly tell that this figure was the Spire—or its spirit, or incarnation. Whatever it was, Uriel was almost entirely convinced that it was the expression of the Spire’s Will and presence.

Why would the Spire, of all things, care about such a thing? It felt like a particularly hollow topic to harp on.

But for some reason, he felt no ill intent from the Spirit’s Will; only curiosity, confusion, and interest. It was strange.

He took a breath, then exhaled. "Of what?"

The Spire Spirit tilted its head slightly, confused.

"What should I be afraid of?" Uriel clarified.

"Death?" the Spire Spirit said, unsure of its own answer as it spoke.

Uriel remained silent for a long while.

"Why?"