Chapter 415: Void of Magic

Chapter 415: Void of Magic

Tala staggered again, even as the Reality-Mages dust fully dispersed.

This time, it wasnt because she was still missing an arm.

No, she staggered under the sudden assault from the power within the air of the cell.

She could do nothing to keep it back as it inexorably roiled toward her, pushing her aura aside.

At least, she could do nothing until she focused strongly on her own magic, and the void which existed between all things, separating her aura from the rest of the cell.

Her power rushed out, filling her aura with dense magic, and her threefold sight saw that the distinction between the clashing forces was much clearer than had existed even moments before.

Only then did the pressure seem to let up, at least enough for Tala to temporarily hold her ground.

The issue lay in that Reiki had held sway over a massive amount of Realitys authority and power, but she was gone, and Reality seemed to want an outlet.

It wanted balance, and things were incredibly out of whack.

The power of Reality wanted to rush out of the cell and crash upon Zeme like a tidal wave, but Talaher aura, authority, and area of sovereigntywere in the way, plugging that hole.

Still, the power had to go somewhere.

Tala had no idea where it had come from, so she didnt really know what was needed to use it.

Magic came from the next world. Void was found within the divisions between all things. Reality?

Yeah, she had no clue.

Oh, she knew that Reiki had somehow drawn it through her own twisted soul, but that wasnt really an answer.

That was like saying someone acted cruelly because they were a mean person.

That didnt actually explain the why, or in this case the where from and what for.

-Tala, the power in the air diminished when Reiki passed.-

Yes, Alat, the source of power is gone, so there is less of it.

-No!- Tala felt the mental equivalent of a poke to the forehead. -Listen! It took power from the storm here in the cell to reduce Reiki to dust.-

Tala froze for an instant, processing that. Letting Reality exert itself uses up whatever this power actually is.

That was so obvious she felt a bit foolish for not realizing it. She knew that the power was somehow related to Reality, but that didnt actually tell her what it was.

It was the equivalent of knowing that light let her see things, and that didnt actually give more than the basic information on what light actually was.

Regardless, she had a potential go-forward in mind.

I had to speak to let it work

She nodded to herself, taking in a deep breath and letting it slowly.

The nearby town caught her attention again, No untended town would be standing after millennia, and this town has only held the dead.

There was an odd resonance through the air as the vibrations of her words rippled outward.

It felt almost like something checked the truth of her statement.

The feeling was among the oddest shed ever felt.

It was like looking at a friend with a finger held up for her to wait, while he flipped through a book to check on the accuracy of her claim.

But on a conceptual level.

Is Reality fact checking me?

-I dont know yes?-

Then, before her eyes, the walls of the town and everything within the ancient bastion of humanity began to erode at a prodigious rate.

Tala stood as if a statue observing the passage of centuries as they tore the town down to nothing, removing all traces that it had ever been there at all.

Tala knew that there should have been some remnants, but Reality seemed to be going a little overboard at the moment.

That took almost none of the power from the air.

Rust. Tala could probably make a good go at removing the taint from the cell through various methodsrust, she could probably just dump power outward to erode Realitys hold, therebut she felt like getting an expert opinion and assistance would be wiser.

-Master Xeel?-

Yes, good idea. She looked over her shoulder and called, Master Xeel! The prisoner is dead, and I need help with another problem.

A moment later, Master Xeel stood beside her, looking around. Im glad you werent compromised, but what happened?

She briefly explained, and the Reforged nodded in understanding.

So, the authority in the air outside your aura is that of Reality itself?

Yes, only filling my aura with a focus on magic and void is holding it back

You have done well, exceedingly well, actually. Would you be alright if I took it from here?

She almost said yes, grateful to pass off the issue to someone else, but then she hesitated. She could use this as an opportunity to learn. Can Can I see what you do? Can you explain it to me?

He hesitated for a moment in turn, then shrugged. It is simple, really. Most see the tripod of existence as in balance, pushing against each other, but they can also be seen as sides of the same coin.

Tala frowned. I dont understand.n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m

Ill explain the basics with a rather trite play on words. Please dont read too much into it.

She nodded her agreement.

Alright, in Existence, the opposite of Reality is Void-Magica combining of the other two pillars. Correct?

That is my understanding.

She narrowed her eyes, feeling like she knew what the last reason was going to be.

Finally, hot-inscribing Archive connections is a pain.

Tala sighed. So, you dont actually see any of my messages.

Well, I do on occasion? Or I will on occasion. I try to take a week or so every so often to catch up on correspondence.

She narrowed her gaze. How occasionally?

He shrugged. Every century or so.

That must be one rusting awful week.

Once I get rid of all the messages from people who arent around to receive responses it becomes more manageable, but yes, its rusting awful.

She laughed, despite herself. Youre joking, right?

He returned a little smile. Yeah, I only wait about a decade between such message detoxes.

She gave him an unamused look.

What? I prefer to be ready to respond to emergencies.

So, you have a means of being signaled in the case of emergency?

Oh, absolutely. Basically any of the city rulers can contact me directly, no Archive connection required.

Still, that sounds

Lonely? He offered.

I was going to say boring, but lonely works, too.

He huffed a laugh. Its what I do. I am here to protect and uplift, Mistress Tala.

He seemed genuinely content about that. That obvious contentment brought a smile to her lips. Well, in that case, I have a lot of questions to ask you while we sort out this cell.

He shrugged. Ask away.

Tala focused her threefold sight intently on absorbing what she perceived and learning as much as possible in this new place and under these new circumstances.

While Alat and her threefold sight were almost fully dedicated toward that purpose, she and Master Xeel talked.

One topic that came up was the Black Legion. So why do automata always turn evil, or seem to?

Master Xeel glanced her way. Thats a funny thing to ask in the current situation.

Oh? Then, she considered it. Is it because of Reality?

Precisely, yes. Without a strong, sapient soul, everything is subject to the three pillars of existence. He chuckled. Honestly, even us sapients are rather influenced, but in different ways.

But the Black Legion uses soulsvestigesfor their power sources, right?

Some do, yes, but even those that do dont grant those souls power of choice. The soul is effectively just a power source, where for you and I, it is the core of who we are. It guides our actions, and is really rather indistinguishable from ourselves. Though, thats an odd way to talk about it, and language really doesnt have the right words to convey what I mean.

Tala shrugged. I suppose. So, why does that mean theyll turn evil?

They really just turn anti-human. Its why the arcanes created them to begin with. They assumed that so long as gated humanity existed, the black legion would rampage against us. In one way they were correct.

But?

Master Xeel smiled. But they took umbrage with all gates, not just those in living humans.

Vestiges.

Precisely. They turned to sending on any soul that they werent actively using for the cause.

And the arcanes didnt like that, because that would mean no magic.

Well, not no magic, but effectively none for most arcanes, yes. When that turn happened, most arcanes became fundamentally opposed to the Black Legion, and when the Black Legion tried to seize the Mountain Kings magic engines It became all-out war. He smiled. It is that warin which gated humanity found itself on the same side as the arcanesthat changed everything. We had to work together for the first time in our history, and the Black Legion were a tangible example of what the war could cause if continued unchecked.

Tala nodded. So, when the Black Legion was dealt with, finally, the fragile peace was maintained. There have been small skirmishes since, but no war.

Master Xeel nodded in turn. Exactly, and in that peacein relative safetywe have thrived. Its one reason why we havent ever struck without great cause. Then, we make it plain why we attacked, so that it isnt seen as simply an opening salvo.

She huffed a laugh. It is madness to me that we consider this safety.

I did say relative.

You did, but so, so many people die.

Fewer than when arcane Hallowed led raiding parties to raze our cities. Fewer than when we fought and bled for every child to grow into adulthood. Our children are safe now. Our adults? Well, they are not as safe as wed like, but almost all of our children survive.

Tala found herself agreeing. It was odd to consider how, without magic, children would likely die far more often than they did. For her, childhood had been a time of safety. Only in adulthood had she walked in true danger.

How different would our world be if children died in droves and adults were the safer group? She simply couldnt fathom it. What society would stand for it?

It made the exceptions stand out the two boys that shed failed to save so long ago.

Rust I havent thought about them basically at all.

Alat broke her silence to chime in. -Because Be-thric took you that night, and after that youve had more important things on your mind.-

More important to me. Those boys I know their minders messed up, and I did all I could, but they still shouldnt have died. She wasnt overly broken up over it, and that bothered her. She knew that context was key, and she just couldnt bring herself to do more than vaguely regret their fate in the context of everything else that had happened.

Honestly, it wasnt worth spending time on. This was all a bit of a distraction as she still hadnt gotten an answer to her question.

But what about all of this made the Black Legion, and indeed any automata, into our enemies in the first place?

Master Xeel gestured around them. Reality, Mistress Tala.

Care to explain? she asked, trying to add levity and draw out some more detailed answers.

After a moment, Master Xeel nodded. I will try.