Kalon Bloodborn's POV
The heavy vibration of the teleportation gate's activation hummed through the soles of my boots, but before I could take that final step into the gate, the sound of hurried, heavy footsteps echoed against the stone floor of the hub. I turned just as Ariadne skidded to a halt, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. She was flushed, her red hair slightly disheveled, as if she had just run the entire distance from the upper citadel districts.
In her hands, she carried a scribe box, a sturdy, rectangular case with a reinforced handle. It wasn't the typical wooden box used by scholars. It had a strange, iridescent sheen to it, like the surface of a dark sea at midnight.
"I know you don't fancy weapons, Kalon," she panted, holding the box out to me with a defiant, proud grin. "So I made sure you wouldn't go into that wasteland empty-handed. I had to pull a few strings to get this."
I took the box, surprised by its weight. As I unlatched the lid, my eyes widened. Stored inside was a collection of potions, elixirs, and poisons, each secured in tufted-lined slots. Alongside them lay a supple, dark leather potion belt, designed to be worn beneath a cloak for quick access.
"This box," Ariadne boasted, regaining her composure and crossing her arms. "It's made of a charybdis scale. It's nearly indestructible and keeps the contents at a perfectly stable temperature. And the vials? They are the highest quality in all of Stygia. You won't find glass this pure in the common markets."
I ran a finger over one of the vials. She wasn't lying. I recognized the quality of the glass. It was the same grade used in Lord Cian's private study. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed two specific vials tucked into the corner. They bore the faint, etched seal of the Patriarch's personal study. I looked at Ariadne, a new sense of curiosity blooming in my mind.
For her to have obtained two of Lord Cian's personal concoctions meant she had a relationship with a high-ranking Celestial that she hadn't yet disclosed. I kept the observation to myself, offering her a nod of genuine appreciation instead.
"I'll make good use of them, Ariadne," I said.
"You'd better," she retorted, though her eyes softened. "Those are high-rank brews. Even the senior scholars struggle to get their hands on stuff that potent. I don't want to hear that you ran out of mana or succumbed to a scratch from a demon because you were too busy being a genius to drink your medicine."
Damon leaned over, peering into the box. I saw the brief flicker in his eyes. It was the same realization I had. We both knew that while these were indeed rare and powerful, they weren't truly the highest rank compared to the experimental masterpieces Lord Cian kept in his study. Yet, the fact that she had secured two of the patriarch's vials was a staggering feat for a student.
We didn't correct her. Her effort and the obvious care she had taken to protect us were far more valuable than the contents of the vials themselves.
Bane slithered towards her, climbing up for Ariadne to pet him. Ariadne giggled and Selene smiled at the scene.
"Come on," Damon said, gesturing toward the gate. "We need to get there on time."
I handed the scribe box to Proteus. Bane rushed to my side as we stepped into the gateway.
The transition was straightaway, making me light-headed. My limbs went numbs and my torso grew heavier.
Despite my recent experiences with the astral realm, this was my first time entering a teleportation gate, and my body was not prepared for the physical toll.
The world didn't disappear, it were at though it had torn away. My head filled with a sickening, spinning dizziness that felt like my brain was being stirred with a cold spoon. My stomach lurched, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
I struggled to hold on. My eyes remained opened as I admire the transition.
As we drifted through the immaterial void, the dizziness began to fade into a state of heightened perception. Because of my recent enlightenment and my ability to touch the astral realm at will, I saw the passage.
I could not tell if Damon or even the senior scholars had experienced this vision. My vision appeared not like a tunnel of light. Instead, I saw the raw forms of mana. They were vibrant streaks of power that held the tunnel's structure.
And between those streaks, I saw a thick, grey liquid that drifted through the void. It felt primal... sentient. Every time the mana forms shifted or left a momentary gap in the tunnel's wall, this grey liquid would surge forward, trying to fill the space. It was the nothingness between worlds, a chaotic pressure that the runes on the gate must have been made to keep at bay.
The sensation was exhilarating. And at the same time, it was terrifying. It was the feeling of being a speck of dust in the eye of a god.
Through the exhilarating rush of the void, my mind remained anchored to my singular purpose. The potions Ariadne had given me. The poisons and the enhancers, would serve well for defense.
My plan had not wavered. The great ruins were a graveyard of Asuran history and a breeding ground for demons. While the other raiders were content to simply end the pain of these demons, I was going there to slaughter them. I would kill the demonic beasts, use the storage ring to capture their corrupted body, and bring them back to study.
By the time the light began to solidify and the sensation of weight returned to my limbs, I wasn't the same person who had hugged Selene at the hub. My desire to sort the truth had made me a hunter, and the great ruins was the only place large enough to hold my ambition.