Something was up.
They had been walking for Severin knows how long, but there was still no wind. Instead of its ghostly howls, the mountain's slopes were enveloped in an eerie silence.
It was almost like the wind wouldn't dare encroach on the Itheon's domain. That didn't stop the frost from settling in, though.
The jade clouds had grown denser, making it harder to see through. Even Yun, with the [Eyes of Acuity] Trait, was having a hard time tracing his steps.
Thin pillars of golden light bled through snowy clouds, indicating that the sun had come up. They'd been walking throughout the night.
Mortin had taken over the reins from her captain, dragging Yun along with as much care as he'd expected her to give. None. She shot venomous glares his way every time he so much as tripped on a rock.
Miri had taken point, sporadically throwing concerned glances down the mountain path. She had to look out for both Smoky and her Plagued brother.
But Yun wasn't really concerned with any of that.
Two superhumans and I'm the one hauling a heavy supply pack. Ridiculous.
Even though he was the one who packed it himself unprompted, couldn't they show some level of consideration? Yun also had a sneaking suspicion that he was the only one who had to worry about starvation. The two women both had active vital cores supplying them with vital essence, while this body's core seemed to be dormant.
A bit unfair, isn't it?
Even if it was active, given that Yun himself had a celestial core, would he have been able to use it? If so, could he try to awaken this one?
As far as he knew, the First Vision didn't usually place you directly in the body of someone — it was more like Descendants would be piloting avatars based on an inhabitant of the Forsaken Realm. But he was possessing this body. The fact that he could feel this boy's vital core was proof.
Now, how do I begin to awaken a vital core?
"Court's blessings, Lady Miri… uh, Captain Miri," said Mortin.
Miri pushed forward, showing no sign of exhaustion. "Yes?"
"The vitality in this area, it's quite potent!" That's the most excitement Yun had heard from her voice. "It must be true then: places with a great natural presence truly are sacred."
By natural presence, does she mean things like forests and oceans? I guess mountains count.
Miri drew in a deep breath.
"Yes, truly. But I wouldn't say that with full conviction. The Itheon's jade clouds must also contribute their fair share of essence. Not to mention the divine beast itself. Its sheer presence must have some effect on the area."
The back of Mortin's neck twitched. She didn't like Miri's answer. Well, she did look like a mature woman, and Miri was around Yun's age, so it couldn't have felt good hearing a kid talk like she knew more than her. But considering that Miri had a more powerful vital core, she did know more.
It also didn't help that Miri's focus was either in front of or behind their group, never at the person she was conversing with.
The most likely reason for her poorly concealed hostility was some schism involving their clan that went far back, so far back that Yun had no interest in uncovering it.
Ah, nothing like clan politics. Is that what I have to look forward to?
"Also," Miri continued. "There was barely any vital essence in the Lost Sea. I remember Brother throwing his hands in the air about it when we entered its waters. I could barely feel the difference myself, but obviously, he would know better."
That means… Maliki wasn't even at full power when he defeated the Dragon?
Yun shifted his gaze downhill, half expecting a broadsword to come flying at him from within the snowy, white mist.
"There's so much we don't know about the Vital Arts," said Mortin. "But who am I to question the Court's blessings?—"
Mortin shut her eyes and relaxed her posture a bit; her grip on Yun's bindings loosened as well.
"—only Sages get to refine their essence in such places."
"Be careful. Weak essence risks diluting itself in places like this. You could lose yourself, and think yourself part of the mountain."
Did she just…? Damn.
Mortin's jaw tightened, neck twitching again.
"I appreciate the concern. Captain."
With that, Mortin went into her refinement, and Miri returned to her vigilant watch. And so, the long hike continued.
***
Steady. Unmoving. Eternal.
I am a pillar of unrelenting will and a paragon of unshakeable conviction. My valleys hold the memory of a thousand battles and the cries of a thousand fallen warriors. Their blood formed my rivers, their tears the rain that filled my lakes.
Burning with gluttonous fervour, they climb up my slopes in search of the divine beast's abode, but none prevail; none shall touch my peaks. I protect the master's Temple from the weak and unworthy.
Though the ground below me caves and the sky above me trembles… I. Alone. Am… Unmov—
"Yun!"
But then I hear a voice, a woman's voice. Her voice is smooth and soothing like the morning star bathing my summit. Whose voice am I hearing? Mountains don't have ears.
"Yun? Is that what you chose for a name? You got tired of waiting on me, huh? I'm so sorry."
And the voice kept repeating "I'm so sorry" over and over. But never "I love you."
"Mother?" Yun blurted out.
Yun had a voice again. He could speak. He was made of flesh and bone, not stone. Yun was not a mountain; he had a body. And that body was screaming.
Crap.
This was the third time he'd had to convince himself he wasn't a damn hunk of rock, and every time he did, Yun would suddenly regain all his sensation in one gloriously excruciating wave.
Climbing this mountain had minced his legs; he was constantly fighting off the sickening sensation of nausea, and breathing felt like his lungs were being set ablaze.
Miri abruptly stopped, her face barely visible behind a cloud of white. She was partially illuminated by the few rays of sunshine that managed to force their way through.
"Who are you calling Mother? It's the third time now. Do I… do I look that old to you?"
"Of course not. I blurt out some weird stuff when I'm fearing for my life."
Mortin kept marching forward, pulling Yun along and paying their conversation absolutely no mind.
"Oh. You look terrible, by the way."
You don't say!
"Please, Lady Miri. Don't mind me."
Clenching his teeth, Yun pressed on forward, each step weighing a ton more than the last.
Add on the fact that he now had to constantly resist the pull of the mountain's vital essence. What if he lost focus and drifted ever so slightly to the left? Then he'd just fall to his death.
This isn't good. Who would have thought jade clouds would be my first drug?
Stopping for a rest wouldn't do any good. Thanks to the false Maliki behind them, every second uphill had to count. Yun reached for a flask in his pack and guzzled the water until it was almost empty. He poured the rest of it on his head, which wasn't the best idea considering how cold it had gotten, but the discomfort and pain were what kept him from dissolving into this mountain.
I have to occupy myself somehow, he thought. Remaining mentally idle would just make things worse.
Constantly racking his brain over Severin's Curse and Lineage Paths would almost certainly make him want to disappear willingly, so he returned to familiar ground. An ever-present threat to all who lived in the real world.
The Great Break.
Described as a tear in reality that was as black as soot, stretching from the heavens down to the earth, it was a portal that connected reality to another world: the Forsaken Realm. Not the Curse's imitation used for Visions, but the real one, in all of its vast and perverse glory.
To reach it, one would have to traverse thousands of miles of treacherous ocean, since air travel was no longer an option. If you wanted to live, that is.
It was no wonder Yun never considered that one day he'd have to entertain the idea of embarking on such a journey himself. It was straight up nonsensical.
Divines had their own ranking, but Yun could barely understand them, so he wasn't going to touch on it.
What he did know was that if he survived the First Vision, he'd become a Divine Spark — simply known as Sparks — and the involuntary Vision spells would stop.
The most important thing, though, was that he'd regain his lost memories. He'd finally have the answer for how and why he got on that wall. He'd know why he had gone to the Morrigan Clan, and what Mother had to do with it.
I just wanna know what happened. Why do I have to escape Dragons and climb mountains for that?
Yun sighed.
Furthermore, becoming a Spark would, among other things, put a timer on him. Something like a Divine was never supposed to exist in normal reality. Even a half-baked one was unacceptable.
"Mundane winds only blow to silence the celestial flame." That was the saying, right? Geez, how far up its own ass can Descendant society get?
It basically meant that Yun was forced into a journey into the Forsaken Realm and back, thus fully awakening as a Divine.
Unlike full Divines, who could freely access the Forsaken Realm without using the Great Break, Sparks had no such ability. Luckily, during a Vision Cycle, the Great Break would open up, allowing for not-so-safe passage through, and as a bonus, providing the world with a fresh batch of horrors to deal with.
Holy shit.
Now that he'd laid it out for himself, he realized that even when his trials ended, even more tribulations would be sure to follow. Half his life going forward would be spent ducking claws in the Forsaken Realm, which reasonably put him in a sour mood.
The mountain's hold on him had lessened considerably, so it was worth it. If only the same could be said about his deteriorating body.
He fished out some salted dried meat from his pack, which was sure to make him more thirsty, but what option did he have?
What was I thinking? Pouring all that water on me.
Breaking off a chunk, he strained his jaw to chew. Was this even meat? Wasn't meat meant to be tender? This felt more like crunching flavoured rocks together.
"Hold," Miri raised her fist. Mortin trudged forward and stopped only after bumping into Miri. Was this what intense focus looked like?
The jade clouds now glimmered with golden radiance from the intense sunlight, which did nothing for the cold. The snowy mist had grown dense enough that wading through them felt like swimming, only adding to Yun's struggle. He walked up beside Miri to catch a glimpse of what she was staring at…
What in Severin's name?
Miri drew her sword and infused it with her red vital essence, whispering the words "Ignite." The essence flared like a roaring flame, temporarily chasing away the jade clouds. Of course, Yun already knew what was in front of him from the smell alone.
It was a body.
When the air cleared, the three of them were presented with all the gory details.
Crucified upside down on a boulder, the nude body was cut open from its throat down to the pelvis in a perfectly straight line. No deviations whatsoever.
Upon closer inspection, and the fact that his weight had dropped considerably from the last time Yun had seen him, the entrails were missing. His tongue had been pulled out through his mouth and the eyes were plucked from their sockets too. Yun doubted if there was even still a brain in there.
Soon, the jade clouds returned and covered up the horrific sight. Miri's face had crumpled into a frown, while Mortin had no expression whatsoever. She wasn't even looking in the same direction as the other two.
Of course, finding a dead body here wasn't surprising at all, even Mortin speculated as such. That wasn't what made Yun's mouth run dry.
You old bastard.
Smoky was dead.