Chapter 2251

Chapter 2251

“It is truly astounding,” The Scythe whispered into the Prophet’s ear. “How the timing of these two events once more has fallen into alignment, despite the many deviations along the way. It is almost as if... your fears have been completely unfounded. Every step beyond the prophecy you have taken... has been superfluous.

“Heh. I suppose all sins are superfluous, aren’t they?”

The Prophet kept his growing disgust for the hunched and shadowy form of the Scythe from showing on his face. His eye-mouths twitched, but that was all the reaction he displayed. Disappointed, the Scythe prowled away.

Not that the Scythe truly cared about the deviations from the prophecy; that was the great contradiction of the Scythe, it must exist within the Cult of the Savior, without being bogged down by sentimentality. When part of the flesh needed to be removed, it was an impartial butcher.

And its words now were designed to inflict pain. They definitely had, considering the way the Prophet’s actions over the past few weeks wandered away from the light and into unknown territory. Doubt plagued his every step.

Yet no one else seemed to recognize the threat to the light that this incursion could represent. Allowing information to the superiors of Nether King Hungry Eye felt like an obvious liability.

Which then sent the Prophet’s mind spinning down the rabbit hole of wondering whether he only thought that because he had so long been deprived of the light he didn’t remember the invulnerability of its radiance-

The Prophet narrowed the bulging eye hanging from its chin. Do not let your attention wander. Enough of that has happened. Now witness, the beauty of the Prophecy.

In front of him the shallow stone bowl filled with water rippled and he witnessed events knitting themselves into the future predicted by the light of El-Kedec.

After receiving the careful instructions from the Cult of the Savior, Elhume had asked why they the Prophet had been so detailed. IN response, the Prophet had smiled. “I had assumed... we are aware that you are working with us because both intend for the safety of Pine... but you would be more comfortable with us not present for the process of introducing the Hierarchy of Equivalence into the universe. But if you need assistance-”

“No, I will be fine,” Elhume had closed his eyes and turned away. “The important portion is connecting with the correct... Schema Coelom, yes? And pulling the proper idea. I can manage it.”

In the present, the Prophet observed Elhume with his glowing eye as he proceeded through the ritual. Based on Nether principles, the ritual opened up a small door to the deeper realm, through which the fabric of universal law moved. The true source of El-Kedec existed in that place and even thinking about it filled the Prophet with longing.

But right now, the Prophet would accept this obvious invitation. The Prophet’s attention shifted and the depiction on the water’s surface shifted. To the Northeast, the frazzled and exhausted Mae Myrna dragged her fingers in sharp lines across the walls and floor of a stone room, carving out furrows. Her eyes were bloodshot; she hadn’t slept since the confrontation between herself and Elhume.

Already, her energy began flowing through the patterns carved into the room. Being so casually dismantled by Nether King Hungry Eye had taught her a lesson, but she had doubled down on this path, just as the Prophecy had predicted. Her fingers twitched when she didn’t use them to carve, but they didn’t possess the slightest tremor during the work.

She took the lessons imparted by the Nether King, advancing by leaps and bounds, much faster than predicted. But the Prophet supposed that those same ripples released by the interloper had propelled Elhume to power more quickly. Already, the fist-user’s image crackled with a vast emptiness that made the Prophet’s hands tingle. They grew close to the point that the pieces they played with grew powerful enough to throw off their yoke, should they become aware of it.

It would not easily expand beyond this area, but in exchange, it would be very difficult for other forces to invade and attack her until she had finished her preparations.

The Prophet pivoted back to Elhume, fishing out into the Schema Coelom for the proper Hierarchy.

Normally, the relatively modest area, perhaps now a twentieth of the total Aetherlands, would not have much of an impact on the process of acquiring a Hierarchy. The Prophet straightened slightly, feeling Mae Myrna’s image reinforcing itself, and therefore exerting a larger influence on the Universal. Its existence gathered enough pull to drag more of the universe soul into alignment.

The Cult of the Savior had carefully pruned for this moment over the course of two hundred years.

The whole of the current Nexus was about nine parts Nether to one part Aether. But in the universe soul, both were represented equally. So this small bubble Mae created and cut off from the world became grossly overrepresented. Simultaneously, another piece had developed far earlier than expected, without any assistance from the Cult of the Savior, spreading the technique with abandon.

Each time an Aether being created one of Cerulean’s ‘Fates’, what they really did was cut back out their contribution to the universe soul, weakening it further. To fill that space, what choice did Pine have but turn to the solid, if warping, Mae Myrna?

The Prophet snickered. Finally, Elhume found the proper target within that horrid gulf of the spiritual abyss, so many poisoned shapes trying to smother El-Kedec’s light. He pulled, dragging a little bit of that influence into the Nexus. The whole isolated universe shook as the principle tried to squeeze its way into their little corner of existence.

It passed through the universe soul, Pine exhausted and tainted by Mae Myrna, and trembled. It reacted to the energies present in the universe... and shifted.

The Hierarchy of Equivalence entered through the other side of the portal and the Hierarchy of Karma popped out the other side, affected by its new environment. It came into existence as a crystal chalice, not large enough to serve a drink, with a stem so thin it looked as though it could snap with just two fingers.

The Hierarchy released a soft radiance, its influence percolating out through existence and settling across the Nexus.

When Elhume smiled, he looked young. “With this, Pine...!”

The problems began when he reached out to touch the Hierarchy.

At the point his fingers brushed against the chalice, little motes of energy exploded outward like a kicked dandelion. Blinking in surprise, Elhume swiped his hand ineffectually through the new light. When it finally began to dissipate, his eyes widened to see the chalice now missed several large chunks, with more breaking off and flaking away every second.

“What?” Elhume’s hand snaked outward. He touched the chalice and it exploded, vanishing before he could even take advantage of the tainted tool he had pulled into the Nexus.

The Prophet could hear the wet sound of Scythe licking his lips. A newly arrived Hierarchy always came through the universe core, but would immediately be pulled toward the individual who most epitomized it.