Kaius woke to a sharp crack, his eyes snapping open. He sat up with a start, blinking away the blur of sleep as he searched for a threat.
Instead, he found Xenanra hovering over them with a grin on her face. It was hard to tell who she was looking at, her pure white, six-pupiled eyes watching them all equally.
Kaius sighed, relaxing as soon as he registered that they weren’t in danger. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he threw his cloak off and stored it inside of his ring.
Last night had been good. Healing. They’d sat and eaten and drunk together, whittled away the hours with jokes and idle conversation, but also with stories — details and moments they’d passed over earlier.
They’d also managed to plan ahead. They would be staying in the Depths — for a month at least, but no more than two — as they pushed as hard as they could for more Honours. The specifics would depend on how long they had truly spent in the Crucible.
There was a litany of them to attempt — the next steps for Hordebreaker and Ruthless Underdog; the long distance and multi-kill Honours that Kenva had gotten, Deadeye and Massacre; even variations on what he and Porkchop had done as unclassed with Birds of a Bloodsoaked Feather and Born for Slaughter. All seemed probable, though there was a good chance that it would be difficult for them to delve deep enough for the next tier of Ruthless Underdog, and it was admittedly a big ask for Kenva and Ianmus to slay Champions solo for Born for Slaughter.
Not quite impossible, but definitely difficult — it would be almost entirely reliant on finding good enough match ups. Hells, the tough but slow turtle Champion from the Godsmaw was a decent example of something well suited — the fight would be slow, but with their speed he’d be confident in his backline keeping themselves safe.
As a group, they’d also had plenty of ideas for other things they could try to attempt in that time frame. Completing a layer as quickly as they could; expenditure of large volumes of a resource in a short enough timeframe, Ianmus also wanted to try exploring his dual casting to see if he could find any related Honours.
There was more to discuss: potential level ranges, and methods to approach each one — but the night had eventually grown long as unfamiliar stars rose over the meadow. Sleeping out in the open had been…nice. They’d had a tent, of course, but with the temperature so warm there hadn’t been a point.
“Come on, you lot. It’s time we get moving, your final trial awaits,” Xenanra said, ushering them to their feet.
Kaius hurried to do as she requested — scurrying around with his team as they packed away what supplies they had with them.
They set off across the meadow toward one of the far walls of dense growth that surrounded it, a quick pace required to match Xenanra’s speed.
The heading seemed chosen at random — though, no doubt, the Ascendant had a destination in mind. It wasn’t obvious. There was nothing that jumped out to Kaius, just endless brush that surrounded the open field on all sides.
Just beside him, Porkchop’s ears flicked back and forth as he stared at Xenanra’s back.
“Can you tell us where we’re heading, or more about what we’re supposed to do?” Porkchop asked.
The Ascendant merely turned back and gave him a grin.
“Do you expect a lady to kiss and tell? You’ll learn more when we arrive.”
After that, the rest of their walk passed silently.
As they reached the edge of the clearing, Kaius half expected they’d have to bushwhack to follow her, so dense was the surrounding growth. The thought was worrying: with the simple resistance of the grass brushing against his feet — the toughness of each fiber — would he even be able to cut through the thick branches? A Father’s Gift was the sharpest it had ever been, but there was something strange about this place.
Yet, without so much as a twitch or an utterance on the part of their guide, trees twisted of their own volition, reshaping their growth to curve around Xenanra’s very approach. They arced upward and over them, forming a natural tunnel of green and brown. It was like they were walking under the ribs of some serpentine nature spirit, sunlight seeping through the cracks to drench them in hues of gold.
An hour later, Kaius got his first glimpse of their destination.
Nestled deep within the overgrown bramble, visible through a narrow opening ahead, there was a temple of ancient stone that was being eaten alive by a carpet of vines. Writhing like snakes, the living tendrils were retracting — revealing the details hidden beneath.
Each column and wall was carved from a single continuous piece of stone, lovingly engraved with motifs of vines, flowers, and shoots. While the walls on either side were solid, what faced them was open, as was the far end of the building behind. Tall and conical; layered and spiked like it was covered in the thorns of a rose bush, the roof stood strong — despite the weight of its years.
Its age was obvious. It was old. Very, very old.
Even with its viney blanket having retreated, green covered every surface, the stone was stained and weathered, and the engravings worn down by wind, rain, and time — until, even with his Truesight, Kaius could only barely make out the faintest impressions on the most worn sections.
Yet its internals looked cared for. Not new, but certainly not ancient. Like they were regularly used and lovingly looked after. A ritual site of some kind.
No matter their clear purpose, the floors were polished, and in the center of the temple stood a great sconce — chest-high, tipped with a wide bowl. It was full of glowing coals, individual tongues of flame flickering in the half-light.
Thick rugs surrounded the fire, piled high with plush cushions in purple, pink, and golden velvet. The colors were saturated, and the cushions creased and well-used — but unfaded.
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Xenanra ushered them in, the atmosphere heavy with purpose — almost sparking against his skin.
“Sit, sit,” she insisted, gesturing to the cushioned rug that surrounded the sconce.
Kaius shared a long glance with his team, but sat all the same.
Xenanra lowered herself as well — though, as was customary at this point, she floated just high enough to remain a head taller than the rest of them. It made it easy to forget that she would barely come up to his waist if she stood on solid ground.
The Ascendant rolled her eyes at him, and Kaius paled — snapping down on his thoughts like a trap. The peril of her being able to read minds. He meant no offense, but it was still disrespectful.
Xenanra scoffed in amusement, before she looked at each of them in turn.
"First, let me congratulate you for your successes," Xenanra said, voice calm and clear. "It is no easy feat to embody all three aspects in the Crucible. Many attempt it, but few succeed fully on their first go.”
"As for the darker experience you only somewhat remember? Know that I apologize — and know that it was necessary. You’ll carry the certainty of your choice with you, and, fates forbid, if you ever encounter a situation where you need to remember it? You will."
Kaius nodded gravely, taking her words to heart, though he suppressed a shudder as a glimmer of some half memory flickered across his mind. Something corruptive, eating at the very world around him.
"The universe is vast and full of terrors," she continued, "but also wonders. Thankfully, this final trial— better conceived of as a lesson — is much more about sharing a wonder with you."
Kaius felt his heart thump. A stoked ember of excitement pounded within him.
This entire Crucible, Xenanra had been dancing around a secret of the Aspects, and the path. It was related to the Authority he now felt, but clearly there was more to it. Regardless, it seemed likely that it would be something he could use to hone himself.Something he could master.
His avarice was reflected in his team: Porkchop’s head tilted in curiosity; Ianmus’s eyes burned with need, and Kenva simply beamed, delighted by the prospect of something new.
Xenanra smiled at them — a more genuine and honest expression than Kaius had ever seen. It set something deep within him at ease. Whatever lay in this trial, the Ascendant seemed to truly believe it would be nothing but beneficial.
"I have more good news," she said. "Succeeding in the test — that fourth trial — relaxes some of the restrictions upon me. It means I can share much more."
Something flickered across her face so fast that Kaius barely caught it, even with his mental stats. The barest hint of frustration seen in a twitch of the brow and the slight pull of a frown.
"If I’m being honest — and I am — I consider most of those restrictions…unecesarily cautious, if not bureaucratic. The oldest and most terrible of evils." Her tone was dry, but honest.
"Some of it, it’s true, does have the potential to be harmful. Not in everyone’s hands, but when considering the totality of existence — at the scale of worlds and realities — it makes sense to limit exposure."
If Kaius had been curious before, now he would’ve repeated his trial of Corporus with both hands tied behind his back if it meant getting answers.
Xenanra hovered closer to the burning sconce in the center of their circle, warming her hands on the coals.
"First, let us start with what you can share with whoever you want. The existence of embodiment; how it felt to grasp your Aspects in your first three trials; that you do not need to go through the Crucible to gain embodiment — but it is much faster if you do, and that it is strongly recommended to embody before refinement is undergone in the second tier. I would even encourage you to share that this can be made far easier by seeking a Crucible, as well as the scale of this place’s danger and difficulty."
Kaius sat up straighter. Knowing that they weren’t entirely bound to secrecy gratified him on a deep level. With the changes that progressive integration had wrought, any advantage he could offer to wider society could save lives. It would not be for everyone, but it would be important for those who most needed to know — the strong, and those with potential.
"As for your restrictions? you will not be able to teach others to cycle, nor any details of how it functions. You may make others aware of its existence in a general sense, and you will be able to point people here for a nebulous benefit — that being able to cycle in the first tier will grant them the most benefits to future growth.”
"As I mentioned, that includes the effects your aspects will have on your upcoming rise to the second tier. Your class guides will explain more about the process of tiering up and what it does to the soul and the body. However, learning to cycle empowers the beneficial effect that your pillars have on the qualitative growth to your base that comes with an increase in tier — even more so than your aspects or embodiment alone."
Her words lit a fire in Kaius’s belly.
He thought he knew what she meant — there was the subtle aura of strength that all creatures and people in the second tier seemed to possess. It was a similar feeling to the presence he now felt from his team, but different. Less weighty. Less substantive.
To know there was some physical process involved…well, he couldn’t wait to see it for himself. Judging by the intense looks of curiosity on his teammates’ faces, they too wanted to know more about what she had said.
But before they could ask, Xenanra held up a hand.
"Ah-ah-ah," she said, giving them a slight smile. "I just said — I cannot speak on the tier-up process. That is for your guides when you go through it. As for what cycling is, what it does, and how it will help… Well, I called this a lesson for a reason."
Across from him, Kaius saw that Ianmus had a contemplative expression on his face. He was hunched over, mindlessly fiddling with the hem of his sleeve as he stared deep into the fire between them.
A moment later, he looked up, locking eyes with the Ascendant.
"Earlier you said that a fair few people — I assume the talented ones — often end up embodying during the refinement process if they haven’t done it by this stage already. If the main requirement to ‘cycle’ is simply to embody your aspects, what is stopping someone from stumbling across it themselves? Without passing your test?”
“You will find out for yourself for soon enough, but it is safe to say it is exceedingly unlikely.”
Kaius frowned. “But wait, if the path is as difficult as you say, wouldn’t that drastically reduce how many people can Ascend?”
Xenanra smiled and looked up at the stone ceiling with distant eyes, as if peering through the years.
"You’re right. It is something of an agreement and an allowance that the System has made with itself. The depths of its wants are inscrutable, even to me. But two things are clear, and two things are plain: One — the System wants as many Ascendants as it can get its hands on; Two— the System wants to minimise those that fall to the corruptive force you denied in your fourth trial.”
"Every Ascendant — even those that have lived for aeons, and are just and kind — carry the risk of a fall, no matter how small. I can only assume that the System’s current path is one that, at the level it operates in, leads to numbers that mostly play out in its favour."
Kaius leaned back and breathed out slowly.
That was heavy.
It was a conversation that made him feel small and insignificant. After his meteoric rise to the end of the first tier, he’d finally felt like he was getting somewhere — like he might become a person of importance. Now, it felt like he’d been given a peek behind a curtain and found out that the grand stage he had been performing on was just a back-alley copper-show.
As overwhelming as it was, it was also freeing in a way, to know that his journey was only just starting. There was so much more to experience, learn, and grow into.
Whatever that test had been, he knew it was something to do with choice — the will to seek power from the worst of places. He sincerely hoped it was a choice he would never have to make again.
There were other, more pressing questions on his mind.
"This technique — cycling — what is it? How does it work?"