Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 140: Dune

He had no solution for this.

But he refused to let himself be paralysed by fear or helplessness.

He had no solution, but he was a mage, and through runes, a middle ground could always be carved out to mitigate even the worst of situations.

The gears of his mind spun as he considered dozens of possible paths, even while the booms of his core echoed inside his skull like a ticking time bomb.

’I can try and...’

His fingers moved once more, nails tearing through flesh and spilling blood as yet another formation was etched into his skin, his knowledge of formation magic and versatile magic coming into play.

’...!’

With his core now a field of chaotic and unusable aether, he couldn’t draw upon it to activate the formation, nor could he resonate it with the world around him.

So instead, he bound the second formation to the first, linking their energy sources together and forcing activation through that connection. The drawback was immediate, both formations would burn out far sooner than required, but there was no other viable path.

It was the most optimal choice available to him.

HAH!

A low hum reverberated from his body, the formations blazing against his skin, and abruptly, the booming within his core lessened...then ceased entirely.

His body stopped trembling. He dropped to one knee, breathing hard, as the aether within his core began its slow transition back toward stability. It would take time to fully settle, but it would settle.

...

"Ah..."

Uriel pushed himself back to his feet, breath reclaimed, having narrowly crossed yet another life-and-death impasse.

’What a way to start this event...’ he thought with a bitter chuckle. ’...but it’s not so bad.’

’Not yet, at least.’

The second formation carved into his stomach was as simple as the first. All it did was reverse the state of the aether within his core.

If it was chaotic, it would become orderly. If orderly, it would turn chaotic, an endless oscillation between the two.

In his current situation, where he had no choice but to remain in constant contact with the sand due to his inability to fly, half of his core would always be chaotic, the other only mildly orderly, with a high likelihood of collapsing into chaos if he exerted himself too much.

It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t stable. And it certainly wasn’t permanent. But it was something.

Now, all he needed to do was wait for the other half of his core to return to a usable state.

’I can’t afford to wait.’ He didn’t know why, but something deep within him urged him to move, and he was inclined to trust it.

’But what exactly am I supposed to do...?’

[Participant detected!]

Uriel frowned at the translucent screen that materialised before him. ’Can this thing read my mind or something...’

[Welcome to the Tropis Ant Legacy Event!]

The winds intensified without warning, transforming from violent to apocalyptic. Entire hills of sand were uprooted and hurled through the air in crushing waves that tore into him.

Worst of all, the cold deepened into something abyssal. It seeped into flesh and marrow alike, freezing both body and internal aether, while wind-aspected aether clawed at his lungs and stole his breath.

His eyes widened.

[Objective: Reach the Crystal Kismet Palace!]

’...what?’ He stared at the notification in disbelief.

Reach the Crystal Kismet Palace?

’What pal—’ His gaze snapped toward the horizon, though it was nearly swallowed by the storm of sand. Somewhere beyond the haze lay the faint outline of what he had earlier thought to be a statue.

’...let’s hope that’s the place...’

There was one glaring problem.

That structure had been hundreds of kilometres away.

And now, with the storm blinding him and the wind turning soul-freezing...

’Let’s get going!’

...it would be a long walk.

A very long walk.

...

And so, Uriel began his journey.

From his abode mark, he retrieved thick tunics to replace his shredded mage set, layering them over himself. He wrapped dozens of turbans around his head and every exposed strip of skin, shielding himself as best he could from the biting wind and relentless sand.

Then he started climbing.

’What’s even the point of a mage tunic if it always ends up torn to pieces?! I know it can mend itself, but what’s the point if I’m already dead...what kind of idiot designed that thing...’

’I mean, maybe the mage just didn’t expect me to be a melee mage?’ He chuckled under his breath. ’To be fair, even I didn’t think I would be. I was aiming to be a long-range maestro but...’

The memory of the corpse he had faced in the simulation flashed through his mind, sending a chill crawling down his spine.

’Or maybe the mage who made the set didn’t expect me to participate in a Jade Pioneer Legacy Trial...yeah, I doubt falling from the sky into a world where magic is nearly unusable was part of the design considerations...’

Beneath the layers of cloth, he pouted. ’Sucks either way.’

’Ayah gets an infinite armoury and a legion of beast summons, plus chains that can dominate anything, and Enoch gets his absurdly versatile lie eaters alongside armour of fire and lightning, and I...get this.’

The sand beneath his boots was firm enough to support him, yet soft enough to swallow each step halfway, draining his strength with every movement.

Worse still, he had to continuously reinforce the vines wrapped around him as the wind grew harsher. The vines burrowed through the sand and anchored him, shifting constantly to maintain stability.

Time stretched on.

’Hm. That should go on my priority list. I need to craft armour and artefacts when I’m in a pinch. Maybe potions too?’

’I wonder if potions that enhance you like spells even exist...or maybe...’

’Amon said he has a crafting-type magic ring. If I observe a true master at work, maybe I could use my tool to...’

Detached as ever, Uriel drifted into his own thoughts, almost indifferent to the inferno he was trudging through.

No matter how exhausted he became, no matter how bleak or hopeless the situation appeared, he kept climbing, step after step, his mind rooted firmly in the present.

And as he moved forward, his runic scar continued to...grow.

Minutes blurred into hours as he neared the crest of the dune. The cold only intensified.

It became so severe that his limbs stiffened, and his thoughts slowed, the aether in the air somehow exerting a spiritual influence over him, something he had never encountered before.

It did not remain a problem for long.

WHOOOSH!

At last, as a usable quantity of aether returned to his core, it trembled, and then surged.

Streams of elemental aether burst forth in intertwined currents of gold, purple, and green, wrapping tightly around his body like a mantle.

The air itself trembled.

Within moments, the mantle thickened until the hostile aether in the atmosphere could no longer reach him. The cold dulled. The burden on his body eased.

More importantly, the sand’s influence over his core diminished, allowing him greater control over both core and aether.

’Oh. Who would’ve thought that’d work?’

The mantle technique was something he had devised while experimenting with Ayah. Back then, it had mainly served to shield his mind within heart realms, protecting him from the backlash of sparks resisting extraction.

In the physical world, it had offered only minor defensive utility, and as he grew stronger, it had quickly become obsolete.

So he had abandoned it.

’I made so many breakthroughs in the settlement; from resonance types to my magic, even my class and paths...I need to go back and sort all of that out.’

Marking it as essential, Uriel filed the thought away.

After walking for what felt like days, he finally slowed...then stopped.

Shielding his eyes from the storm, he stared at the horizon.

Even through the layers of cloth, his smile was unmistakable.

"Finally!"

He had reached the peak of the dune.