Corin waited until the final Council of Nine aura retracted completely before he allowed himself to breathe. Only then did he allow himself to be impressed with how granular Rhuun's control of aura was. Corin believed he didn't have enough of a true understanding of the worlds of distance between a being like Rhuun's true power and his own; hell, he didn't even think he could really wrap his mind around the difference between him and a platinum-ranker. There were so many variables to consider, and most of them Corin knew he wasn't even aware of.
Yet, with the demonstration he had just witnessed, it was fundamentally different. Rhuun had used his aura to filter out—he guessed that was the best way to put it—the specific natures of auras of the others that would have been harmful, while not diminishing their power. More than that, he hadn't just masked details about him and Ethan. He had replaced that information with whatever the Nine would accept, and done it so expertly that none of them saw through his subterfuge. Well, Corin wasn't dead and no fight broke out, so if they did tell, they kept it to themselves.
Regardless, even attempting something like that was so far outside of Corin's understanding of what essence aura even was, it wasn't funny. He knew the spiritual nature of the pressure given off from beings that had begun to awaken their potential through growth, be that with core formation and development, pure cultivation, or some combination of both; their esoteric nature allowed for abilities to develop that were specific to the individual. Those abilities were always intertwined with an element type, and abilities like that were unique to either that individual, their class, their race, or a specific type of core they had. When there were no other elements involved and it was simply pure essence aura, it was understood this was something anyone could learn, if given time and training. Corin simply had no idea where to even begin for what he had just seen.
So he used a treasure he was holding to record all of those memories and some of the captured essence that still lingered, to hold it for later to see if he could draw insight from it.
Rhuun saw Corin put away the small crystal in his left pocket, and he found himself impressed again by the training of this child. He would need to find a way to further reward this "Jareth of the Sun" in recognition of his thoroughness. He also allowed himself a moment of assurance that Ethan would thrive with these people by his side, and that his foundations would not be endangered by their association and influence. They wouldn't have backed off at his say, and it would have been a shame to wipe them from existence, but gladly, those thoughts were unneeded.
With a flick of his will, Rhuun wiped the crude recording from Corin's treasure and replaced it with one that would provide the greatest benefit to him. He even reinforced the lowly gold-ranked treasure and reformed it as a growth item. This young Corin was strong enough to defend such a thing, and now the archives it stored would no longer fade and would be far more detailed. That would make it possible to gain new insights as he grew in strength. Rhuun withdrew his hand as if he'd done nothing at all.
Corin turned to Rhuun. "Okay… spill it."
Over the next hour, Rhuun explained his concerns over the events that had transpired. His expression, which had been one of detached observation, settled into one of resigned frustration.
"The situation is more delicate than I anticipated," he said. "Ethan's evolution did not go unnoticed, and I gave notice of my intention to make him my inheritor."
Corin's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"The Nine are the closest thing to the voice of the Great System," Rhuun said, the distaste for politics evident in his tone. "Three Primordials, three Cosmic Beings, three Near-Pinnacle existences. All of them equal, if not exceeding my own power. They help maintain balance across creation on behalf of the Great System, and they negotiate with the Greater Cosmic Entities. Their role is to promote growth, and not let it be impeded."
"My… relationship with the System allows me certain liberties, like running this dungeon how I see fit," Rhuun continued. "Refusing them entry would've been possible, but the political cost in future dealings would be severe, forcing me to make concessions later—ones that could prevent me from protecting Ethan."
"What do they want with Ethan?" Corin's voice was tight.
"It is customary for them to offer a gift to a 'Chosen of the System.' That alone makes him an object of significant curiosity. The System ordaining the birth of a new, noble species destined to rule… it is unprecedented."
"If they discern the fact he is shielded from the abhorrent sub-system…" Rhuun let the implication hang. "Furthermore, my decision to offer him my personal inheritance has heightened their interest." He didn't need to say more for Corin to understand the danger. Corin's throat worked once, but he didn't interrupt. He knew better than to waste time on disbelief.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"Speaking of the corrupted cradle system, there is no way they cannot be aware of it," Rhuun said. "From what Veylan told me—the one who administers your home system—the anticipation of this new cohort being brought into the Weave had everyone in the city of Veyraxis excited at the prospect, as the new cohort was projected to have the highest density of origin energy in history."
Corin's brow furrowed. "Origin energy?"
"The last time this happened was before my time," Rhuun said, "but every time a cohort is this rich in origin energy…" He trailed off for a moment before making an obvious choice to proceed. "They found a nether gate."
"So what exactly is a nether gate?"
"No one really knows, or if they do, they have never written it down." Rhuun's grip shifted slightly on his staff. "The last one to be discovered was twelve iterations ago. From what I was told, it opened to a small room that contained nothing but a pedestal of stone and a book. Once someone picked up the book, the realm began to collapse."
Corin waited.
"I don't know the exact contents of the book," Rhuun continued, "but I do know the individual that read it was the one who built the first starforge dungeon, and after they ascended to the next plane, part of that knowledge became part of the Weave, and now they pop up naturally, but are extremely rare."
Corin absorbed that without comment.
"The dungeon he built is the one you are standing in right now. It was bequeathed to the Great System, and I was tasked to watch over it." Rhuun's mouth tightened for a fraction of a second. "So you understand why I feel confident that there is no way the Council of Nine is not aware of the cohort's corruption."
"Additionally, I have not been able to reach Tael Marcaan, the near-pinnacle existence assigned to oversee this cohort," Rhuun finished.
The fear Corin had been containing sharpened into something worse. If Tael Marcaan was unreachable and Veylan's news had made Veyraxis "abuzz," then the Nine had not stepped into this dungeon blind. Corin's gaze cut to the door wall again, to seams that looked too normal to hold that kind of consequence.
He forced himself to look back at Rhuun, because being shocked would not help keep Ethan alive.
"So," Corin said, "you didn't really have a choice." He kept his voice low so it wouldn't carry to Ethan's body the way panic always seemed to. "Refusing their 'generosity' could possibly cost you the political capital to protect him later."
Rhuun answered. "Refusal would have tipped my hand, shown I was trying to hide something." His cane remained perfectly still. "Their customs bind them, Corin, and I used the space those customs give me." He didn't look away from Ethan when he said the next part. "Those concessions allow me to shield him from most of the upper echelons of cosmic power, the ones beyond even your guild's power to withstand, and to make it plain that to move upon him is to move upon me."
Corin's stomach twisted. If that was Rhuun's worry...
He glanced down at Ethan's face, searching for any sign that he had heard, but Ethan remained unconscious, breath steady and rhythmic. Corin's hands flexed once, and he forced them to relax.
"We're not telling him any of this," Corin said, not as a question. He looked back up at Rhuun, waiting.
"Agreed," Rhuun said, and there was no hesitation in it. "Not until we have a lot more understanding." He shifted his gaze to the doors for a heartbeat, then back. "He will be told what his next challenge is, and nothing more."
Corin nodded once.
Ethan's breath changed first, speeding up slightly. His fingers twitched against the stone, then stilled, and his eyelids fluttered as if the light in the room was too bright.
Corin dropped into a crouch beside him.
Ethan's eyes cracked to slits, unfocused at first, then tracking to the amber-lit ceiling as his mind rebuilt the room piece by piece. He tried to push up, failed on the first attempt, and then forced his palm flat to the warm stone and tried again.
"Easy," Corin said. "You're coming out of lattice tempering. Give it a second."
Ethan's gaze slid to Corin's face, then past him toward the door wall, and the precision of that look made Corin's throat tighten.
Rhuun stepped close enough to be heard, his volume restrained. "Begin your cycling," Rhuun said. "You must acclimate the channels as soon as possible."
Ethan's body followed the command as soon as it was heard. He almost reflected on what it meant to be conditioned so thoroughly—months here, years outside—before shutting the thought down. His lips parted, then closed, and he took two slow breaths.
Corin watched him. "We're not discussing—" Corin started, but Ethan cut him off without looking away from the doors.
"You can't let me stop," Ethan said. "The truth is, the only thing keeping me moving is this unrelenting forward momentum." His voice stayed even, but the edges of it were tight, like he was holding himself together by grip strength alone. "You are concerned if I slow down now—if I take time to feel all of this—that I'll be unable to stand back up fast enough. And you can't afford to waste time because I need to be ready to survive without the two of you." Ethan's hands rested on his knees, visible, steadying, and his shoulders squared as his awareness sharpened. "That about cover it?"
"Yes," Corin said, and pride and grief fought for space in his voice. His hopes of protecting Ethan from that truth, if for only a little time, faded. Corin swallowed and kept his face steady.
Rhuun didn't comment on the exchange, but his eyes remained fixed on Ethan, watching him with quiet assessment. The room stayed warm and controlled around them.
Rhuun's gaze moved to the doors, then back to Ethan.
"Your next task is to choose," Rhuun said. "All your work has led to this—the real challenge." He let the words settle, then finished with the only directive Ethan needed tonight.
"Rest. Tomorrow, you begin."
[END OF ARC 2: ENTER THE STARFORGE]
? ? ? WEAVE IMPRINT ? ? ?
ETHAN CROSS
Status Timestamp: Chapter 13 (“The Shield and the Gate”)
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ IDENTITY
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Name: Ethan Cross
Origin: EXSOLUTUS (Fate-touched unmoored)
Affiliation: BLACK KEY (mentor-backed; provisional)
Location: Starforge Dungeon of Rhuun’s Call — training annex (within Hearth over-dungeon)
Race: ?? PRIMARCHUS (Homo exousiarches primarchus)
Rank: Stone
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CORE ARCHITECTURE
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Cores: 0/9
Class: UNFORMED
Acceptance: PENDING
Soul Cohesion: STABLE
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ THE WEAVE
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Meridian Weave: PARAGON (tempered; perfected)
Vitae Weave: PARAGON (tempered; perfected)
Nexus: UNFORMED
Mini-nexus Formation: 2 / ???
Nodes Unlocked: 6 / 12 | Hidden: 2 / 6
Channel Quality: PERFECT (Meridian / Vitae)
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ATTRIBUTES
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Strength: 146 (165) cap 200 ????????????????????????????????????? 82.5%
Agility: 143 (162) cap 200 ???????????????????????????????????? 81.0%
Endurance: 187 (211) cap 200 ???????????????????????????????????????? 100%
Perception: 216 (244) cap 500 ?????????????????????????????? 48.8%
Intellect: 307 (347) cap 500 ?????????????????????????????????? 69.4%
Will: 278 (314) cap 500 ????????????????????????????????? 62.8%
Presence: 214 (242) cap 500 ?????????????????????????????? 48.4%
Luck: 100 (119) cap 200 ???????????????????????????????? 59.5%
Fate: 69 (69) cap 200 ??????????????????????????? 34.5%
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CORES (slots + progress)
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Core 1 — ? UNFORMED — UNFORMED (UNFORMED)
Core Progress:
0%
Core Affinity: UNSET
Ability Slots:
? Ability 1: — ( — ) ASPECT: —
Level: ??????????? Lv 0/10 (0% through Lv 0)
Progress: ?????????????????? 0%
? Ability 2: (LOCKED / —)
Skill Slots:
? Skill 1: — (— ? —) ASPECT: —
Level: ??????????? Lv 0/10 (0% through Lv 0)
Progress: ?????????????????? 0%
? Skill 2: — (— ? —) ASPECT: —
? Skill 3: (LOCKED / —)
Core 2 — UNFORMED (LOCKED)
Core 3 — UNFORMED (LOCKED)
Core 4–9: UNFORMED
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ TITLES (rarity + full effects)
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
? ?? MYTHIC — FIRST OF HIS NAME
Type: Passive (interaction active)
Effects:
└ Fate Amplification: +125% (interaction active)
Limits: None
? ?? LEGENDARY — WEAVER OF THE STARFORGED LOOM
Type: Passive
Effects:
└ +13% to all stats (replaces +10%)
└ Luck +5%
└ Precision/Efficiency boons removed
Limits: None
? ?? LEGENDARY — BEYOND PRODIGY
Type: Passive (latent)
Effects:
└ Node-location awareness latent (triggers under stress / exposure)
└ Fate +5% (scope: TBD)
Limits: None
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ TRAITS
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Translation: STABLE (limited lexicon; expands with exposure)
Ruin Sense: STABLE (worked-stone intuition; limited range)
Racial Ability — MANTLE OF THE FIRST KING: ACQUIRED (APOCRYPHAL)
Unknown Title Progress: 71% (was 32%)
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ REWARDS PENDING
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Weapon: — REWARD TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FOR ?? UPGRADE
Veil Orb (Exotic) — BOUNDLESS EYES OF SIMURGH: — System label indicates a CORE DIAGRAM
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ INVENTORY
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Equipped: Main Hand: — | Off Hand: — | Armor: — | Trinket 1: Veil Orb (Exotic) — BOUNDLESS EYES OF SIMURGH | Trinket 2: —
Carried: —
Stash: —
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CURRENCY
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Shards: Stone 14 | Bronze 1 | Iron 6 | Steel 0
Other: Gold Shards: 2
Debts: —
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ CONDITION
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
STABLE
? Body: HEALED (pool restoration complete).
? Soul Integrity: STABLE (integration complete).
? Authority Imprint: INTEGRATED.
? Aura: CONTROLLED
? Interface: ACTIVE.
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ NOTES & FLAGS (reserved)
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
Bonds: MENTOR PACT — Corin Marric
Council Notice: REGISTERED (The Nine touched the core doors)
Door Signatures: ALTERED (seam changes stabilized)
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
??? ARCHIVE SEALED ???
