Spell Weaver-Chapter 24: Celestial Sect War

“Later, Alex!” Ian called after him. “That ritual was cool; you’ll have to do it again next time!”

He smiled and waved in response. “Yeah, sure- if you supply the Mana Stone!”

“I was worried you were going to just sit at that table all day and play with your books,” John said to Alex.

Alex leaned forward to look past Olivia at the older man.

The three walked on the driveway toward their vehicles, preparing to leave the Voss Estate.

“I think that’s going to be a trend. I want to try and use magic, as crazy as that sounds to say out loud.” Alex shrugged. “It makes sense that I’ll need to spend more time with my nose in a book than you meatheads.”

Even though he didn’t look to his side, Alex knew the two were glaring at him with mock severity.

They soon said their goodbyes, and Alex got back into his car.

Man, I wish I’d thought to warm this up before deciding to leave.

He shivered and tossed his pack into the passenger seat.

“Let’s head home, Val.”

There was an answering call in his mind, sounding more tired than usual. The small mana wyrm curled on his lap and closed its eyes as soon as Alex started to drive.

They drove for some time. Val was sleeping, and Alex was thinking contentedly about how the day had gone. After creating his first ritual successfully, he felt his confidence soar.

It was like everyone was looking at me differently, too.

The recognition of those around him had felt good. Alex knew that part of his reasoning for enjoying art in his younger years had come from the joy he got after showing his work to others. He had always been talented and others would praise him for his efforts, which caused him to become more and more interested in the craft.

Will the same happen with magic? It seems like most people are focused on fighting with more physical means.

Other than Olivia, Alex only knew of Rylan Voss as an individual interested in magic. However, based on what Olivia said, he was more interested in buying and collecting it than actually using it.

Maybe it just takes more effort to learn magic. But… I mean, it’s magic. Who wouldn’t be willing to spend some time with their nose in a book to learn magic? It’s not like I’m learning something boring like Calculus.

Alex decided to ask John and Ian why magic didn’t interest them the next time they all met up.

While Alex was lost in his thoughts, a sudden blur of movement and screeching in his mind caused him to almost swerve off the road. His heart roared to life in his chest, and he yelled instinctively while gripping the steering wheel.

When he got the car back under control and pulled over to the side of the road, he glared at the small beast in his car.

“Val! What the hell?! You scared the shit out of me!”

His companion ignored him completely. The mana wyrm was focused on the corner of his door, his head in the crack and his tail wiggling behind him at full speed like a wind-whipped flag.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked, fear and frustration morphing into concern. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?

There was another screech in his head, though this one sounded full of longing.

“Are you trying to get out of the car?” He looked past the scene and saw only woods beyond the edge of the road. “There’s nothing over there, buddy.”

The answering call was louder in his mind.

Alex winced and thought about it for a moment.

The only thing that Val gets worked up over or tries to go after is mana. Could there be an item that way? Like Mana Stones or my manual?

He gave it some more thought before pulling the car further down the road where there was more of a shoulder. The little Nissan pulled onto the gravel shoulder and still left several feet of space between it and the pavement. Next, he pulled his pack to his lap and removed his wand. He stepped out of the car and slung his bag onto his shoulders before walking to the passenger door.

“I’m going to let you out, and I’ll follow you, but you have to take it slow. We need to go together, alright? I want to keep you safe.”

Alex opened the door a crack, and as soon as it was wide enough, Val began to try to immediately push his head through the crack.

“Val! No,” he said and closed the door again.

Fuck.

He stood there for a moment, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. Looking around, the road was empty.

This road is so remote because of the mountains; I hope the car is fine to leave here.

Alex looked at his companion, wiggling against the glass, and thought about getting back into the car and just ignoring whatever was potentially hiding in the woods. In the end, his curiosity won out. He walked around to the driver’s side once again and grabbed Val from behind. Holding the wriggling mass tightly in his arms, Alex let his head stick out.

There was a moment of panic as Val tried desperately to squirm free and move toward the woods, but Alex held tight and began moving, which caused the small wyrm to settle down a bit. It took almost an hour of walking through dense northeast foliage before he what had been drawing Val.

When Alex stepped from the wood line and into the small clearing, he was surprised to find what had interested Valtherion so much.

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A Rift? Out here, in the middle of nowhere?

He approached it cautiously and looked at the surroundings. When they were within a few meters of the glowing blue portal, Val lit up with his [Mana Siphon] ability.

Even though the first Rift he’d been to was in the city, he’d still gotten there so quickly that no one contested his entry. Since then, there were always Guild representatives or members there to manage the entry of Rifts.

Do I report it to the Guild? They said that this is normally worth a big reward.

As he walked a circle around the Rift, Alex did his best to keep an eye on Val. After just a few minutes, Val stopped drawing at the mana and drooped sleepily in Alex’s arms. He went completely limp and cooed inside his mind.

“Full are you? Little glutton. You can’t try to run off like that.”

Do I need to get him a leash or something?

Alex pulled out his phone and created a bit of space from the portal.

Better shoot Olivia a text about this. It would be awesome to get a huge reward. I wish I could tell them more about it, but without the ability to scan it… the location should still get me something good, though.

He tapped his phone screen and pulled up his messages. No signal. He cursed and moved to a different spot while holding his phone higher in the air.

Still nothing.

He grumbled and pulled up his Maps app. It refused to load and his grumbling turned to curses.

"Guess we'll just have to head back and report it to them in person, Val. This is pretty off the beaten path, I'm not sure I could find it again."

A thought occurred to him then. He could just let Valtherion rush to find it again once he was hungry.

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Feeling better about the discovery, Alex said, "Let's head home, buddy."

Val's head snapped up and before Alex could tighten his grip, the mana wyrm shot from his arms like a bullet and dove straight into the Rift.

"Val!" Alex's heart jumped into his throat. "No, no, no!"

He took a step forward before pausing. Fumbling with his phone again, he desperately tapped the screen and held his phone high, hoping to get even a bit of reception. Nothing.

Shit.

Alex retrieved his wand from his pack, his hands trembling from both cold and anxiety. The Guild's warnings about solo Rift exploration rang in his mind, but he couldn't bear the thought of Valtherion alone in there. "Damnit." Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the portal.

All the Rifts Alex had entered until that point were awe-inspiring and clearly of another dimension. The world that lay out before him as he entered the unknown Rift in the Catskill Mountains caused his jaw to hang open.

He looked down and saw a small crack in the earth that seemed to start between his feet. It spread out before him as a crack, then a crevasse, and ended in a canyon, causing the land before him to divide.

Each side was a stark contrast to the other. To the right was a dark landscape made of purples and yellows. Clouds hung heavy in the air and most of the grass that covered the rolling fields was dead and made of a sickly hue. The trees in the distant forest were scraggly and barren. In the far distance, he could see a mountain filled with snow.

To the left of the split, the land seemed fertile and safe. The grass was tall and green, and the sun shone through sparse cloud covering. The sky was blue, and the trees in the distance bloomed with cherry blossoms.

The stark contrast between the two landscapes made his head spin. Before he could process the bizarre sight further, a blue window materialized in his vision, displaying his Personal Quest and the Rift Quest. He barely had time to glance at the text before catching sight of Val's serpentine form darting through the grass ahead.

“Val! Wait!” Alex called out while breaking into a run. The wyrm showed no signs of slowing down as it wove through the tall grass on the more fertile side of the divide.

Damnit, what’s gotten into him?

Alex’s legs burned as he chased after his companion. Valtherion seemed drawn to something in the distance, and his usual playful movements were replaced by a single-minded sort of determination. The grass whipped at Alex’s legs as he pushed himself to keep pace. The further they moved from the Rift entrance, the wider the crack became to his right.

Partway through his run, he saw a shadowed form trailing his movements and matching his pace on the other side of the growing canyon. It took several minutes for him to realize it was an enormous serpent with black scales that seemed to stalk him.

He gulped and felt thankful that there was a vast space of open air between him and the monster; otherwise, he was certain he'd be dead already.

At least I’ll be able to report that to the Guild.

After what felt like an eternity of running, Val finally slowed near a peculiar plant that seemed to pulse with magical energy. The gluttonous mana wyrm coiled around its stem, siphoning its magical energy.

He sputtered and wanted to curse at the small beast, but he restrained himself. “You couldn’t have picked something closer to the entrance?” Alex panted while doubled over to catch his breath. “Definitely getting you a leash.”

He glanced around and tried to get his bearings. Luckily, it was easy to tell the direction of the Rift, both from the large crevasse as a permanent fixture, and the constant pulling from his core toward the Rift portal.

They’d traveled far from the Rift entrance, and the peaceful landscape suddenly felt a lot more threatening as he remembered the dark snakes form on the other side of the crack. Knowing that Val would stay with the flower until he was full, Alex walked a few feet in every direction, looking for any potential signs of danger.

Seeing none, he walked over to where Valtherion still siphoned mana from the plant, and sat down on a nearby rock. He pulled up the Quest windows from the Rift once more, thinking it was best if he took a look at them to report to the Guild as well.

Personal Quest: Unmasking the Saboteur

The Celestial Lotus Sect suspects that someone is secretly sabotaging their efforts to secure peace. Work with the Sect leaders to uncover the traitor in their midst.Rift Quest: Heavenly Sealed Prophecy

Destroy or Fulfill the Sealed Prophecy that lies where two worlds collide.

Unmasking the Saboteur? Celestial Lotus Sect? What is this quest? This seems a lot more complicated than a simple Cull Monsters quest.

Alex thought through what little he knew about Rifts and the information provided. Red Beanie had told him before that as a Rift’s rarity increased, so too did the complexity of the quests given.

Does that mean that the Rift is higher rarity? This certainly seems more complicated than ‘Kill 20 Forest Monsters.’

He began to feel his unease rise once more. Just as he was about to reach over and peel Valtherion off of the plant, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thundering hooves from over a nearby hill.

Fuck.

Alex snatched up Valtherion and firmly placed him on his shoulder, silencing any further cooing. The companion sensed his urgency and quickly coiled around Alex's shoulder while Alex drew his wand in one fluid motion. Not knowing what would appear over the rise ahead, he widened his stance and prepared to sprint back to the Rift exit using [Empowered Step].

To his surprise, a man came over the hill on horseback.

Several meters behind the man, a small group of four others ran after him. They all wore robes of white and bright yellow.

Alex lowered his guard some as they approached and raised his hand in greeting. He could see the emblem of a golden flower on their chests.

This is the Celestial Lotus Sect?

The man on horseback reached Alex first and pulled on the reins. “Ho- Greetings, stranger. I don’t recognize your sect colors. Where are you from?”

Alex tried to think of a lie quickly. “I was looking for your Celestial Lotus Sect! I've been lost, and I'm glad you found me.”

The pause grew as they stared at each other, "Who is the first Elder?" the man asked.

What? Shit.

The wand in Alex’s hand began to point toward the ground as he thought of a response.

"Where are you from?" He asked as Alex struggled for an answer.

“What?”

The man shifted his head, and his long hair spilled from his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow condescendingly. “Hard of hearing boy? Where. Do. You. Come. From.” He began speaking slowly and punctuating each word as if Alex were a toddler.

Alex’s brows came together. “I’m from Hoboken.”

“Ho-bow-kin?” The man seemed to taste the word.

The others arrived; all of them seemed to breathe normally and were unphased by sprinting uphill after the man on horseback.

“Senior Brother, you apprehended the spy! Great work.”

“Spy?” Alex asked. "No, no. I'm not a spy. I'm here to help you!"

“Yes, his struggle was not great. I feel the Elders will find him to be interesting. Bind his hands, Gu-Feng.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.” A young man said as he stepped forward.

“Woah, woah. Wait a second,” Alex said. He held up his free hand and clenched his wand tighter in the other. “Bind me? No way, who are you guys? Why’re you all talking like that?”

“How dare you speak to our Senior Brother that way!” “Do you know who we are!” “Bow down before our Senior Brother!”

All the young men who had arrived on foot exploded at once, yelling at Alex for speaking out.

“What the fuck, man?” Alex couldn’t get his mind around what was happening. As the one continued to step forward with a rope, he looked at the man on the horse. The smile he was giving Alex was wicked, almost to the point of perversion.

What is with these people? I’m out.

“Val, hold on,” Alex said as he grabbed his pack, used his skill at the maximum output, and pushed off toward the Rift exit.

There were startled cries of surprise from behind him as he took off at full speed.

“He’s a cultivator?!”

“I couldn’t feel his Qi!”

Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw that two of those on foot had begun to chase after him, and the one on horseback was maneuvering his steed around the slower ones.

Can I outrun a horse?

The thought seemed absurd, but it made Alex laugh aloud.

The wind whipped at his face, and he held up his wand and sent a shot toward the two pursuing him. While he wasn’t particularly aiming to hit them, he hoped that it would serve as a threat and slow their approach.

Damn, how do people do this in movies?

The chase continued for several minutes, and Alex was curious to see how his mana was holding up. He still had more than half of his available Mana, thanks to his increased pool size from Val. He looked over his shoulder again to see that he was slowly outpacing the horseman.

His smile froze on his face as he saw the man unsheathe a sword that promptly began to glow a gold flecked with purple. The blade fell and sent a slash toward Alex, his eyes widening in shock. Alex dove to the side just as a blade of magical energy sliced vertically through the air where he would have been if he had continued running. He cursed and scrambled to his feet before continuing to run.

He continued to look over his shoulder with his heart hammering against his ribs. The horseman was gaining ground and Alex’s legs were burning with exhaustion. Another golden slash of energy carved through the air, missing him by only a few inches.

The crack to his left had narrowed, but not enough. He could hear water running below, and Alex’s mind raced as he saw the horseman raise his blade again. Behind him, the other cultivators were spreading out to cut off his escape to the right.

I’m not going to make it to the portal. They’ll kill me or take me prisoner.

The thought of being bound and dragged off to whatever dark corner that freaky Senior Brother had in mind made his blood run cold. Alex glanced to his left again, wondering how deep the water below was.

Another golden flash of every crackled past his head and the decision was made for him.

He had to swerve to avoid the minor explosion of dirt and grass. “Val, fly!” he shouted as he dove toward the crevasse. His stomach lurched into his throat as he plummeted toward the churning water below. Val chirped indignantly, unwound himself from Alex’s arm, and took flight.

Flailing his arms, he looked up and heard several voices of outrage call after him. He slapped into the water in an awkward angle and when he surfaced, he struggled to keep his head above the water as his backpack attempted to surface from the air held within it.

It was too awkward to keep the straps on, so he wrestled them off and pinned the bag beneath himself, using it to stay afloat. He looked up and saw several heads peaking over the edge, watching him drift down the river. They followed for a short distance before he heard distant calls of panic, and they disappeared.

Moments later, a large scaled head twisted into view on the opposite side of the crack. The inky black skin was sharply contrasted by the beady-read eyes. Its tongue flicked out once, then twice, before the beast disappeared over the edge once again.

He did his best to hold in any expletives, but as the current of the river pulled him into a branching split, he couldn’t help it.

“Oh, fuck me.”

The branching current of water pulled him into a secondary canal that moved directly toward the dark side of the Rift.

Alex kicked and struggled against the current, hoping to reach the edge of the river, but the current was too strong and continued to pull him along. Soon enough, it was all he could do to keep the backpack under him and keep his head above water.