CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER ONE: RISE

Charon spun around with his hands raised defensively.

Standing only a foot away was the short form of the professor, a shit eating grin on his face.

"My apologies, I hadn’t intended to frighten you!"

Something about the smile he wore made that hard to believe.

"Flash, Ema, you are both free to leave. I would appreciate having a word with you, though, Charon."

With a worried glance, the two teenagers gave Charon a short goodbye.

"Yeah, we will see you around. Watch your holo-pad, I’ll send you a message. Maybe we can hang out."

They scuttled off quickly, Professor De Vale standing as still as a statue throughout, his gaze never leaving Charon.

Once they were out of earshot, the man leaned forward to whisper.

"You surprise me, animancer."

Charon leaned back, giving the unusual man some space.

"Animancer?"

Professor De Vale snickered, hiding his mouth with a hand. His mechanical eye spun, and something beneath his robes shifted.

"It is a name you will grow familiar with, in time."

When he lowered his hand, his tongue was out, licking his lips.

Charon had to struggle not to gag.

’What the gods is wrong with this man?’

Despite having just given him space, the man moved closer again, leaning in once more.

"Run along now, you have much to do."

Taking the offered out, Charon half walked, half ran out of the room, a slight tremor in his hands.

’That guy gives me the creeps.’

Having no more scheduled classes, he returned to his room, remembering something from the day prior. Kneeling next to the couch, he reached underneath and pulled out the tome the High Priest had given him.

’Emerius should be in class for a bit longer. I can learn what this thing does before then, and hide it.’

Taking it into his bedroom, he sat on the mattress. There wasn’t a title, just a brown cover with a strange pattern on the front. He rubbed his hand along it, his fingers catching on the small grooves that made up a spiral pattern, hidden figures somewhere within.

It was like an optical illusion, the creatures both there and not.

’Freaky.’

On the first page, he found black ink on tan parchment, a foreword before the real content began.

He leaned closer to read, the text making perfect sense to him.

"Within this book, you shall find the secrets of a magic hidden from all gods but the Null Sovereign. Only due to his intervention has it survived, and yet his mercy goes no further. Agony follows the wielder, their body a vessel for creatures beyond comprehension. Such is the burden of knowledge. Such is the burden of death. Such is the burden of the..."

The last word was scratched out, dozens of long, jagged slashes torn from the page. Not one touched anything else but the word and its immediate vicinity, leaving a mysterious gap.

Tilting his head, Charon flipped the page and checked the back, finding no clue as to the missing word.

’That’s weird. Why would someone cut out a single word?’

Hoping the rest of the book would give him some clues, he continued reading on, paying no mind to the ease with which the letters turned to meaning in his brain.

"Chapter One: Rise"

"This text was written as a failsafe should the lineage be shattered. If this is the case, then I apologize for not being there to guide you. We have failed in our duties, but that does not mean you can’t follow in our footsteps. Written in these pages, you will find the power of the soul, but it can only be unlocked with time."

Charon did a silent cheer, happy to have a resource to discover his magic powers with.

"Through your growth, you will learn a great many things, and through this learning, you will unlock the knowledge locked within."

’Okay, so I need to do certain things to learn more. But how will I know what to do?’

Not wanting to get ahead of himself, he continued reading, hoping that the first Chapter would make it all obvious.

"To begin, I will share with you some of the most important secrets on your journey to mastering the element of the soul. Heed these well, for a house built upon shaky foundations will surely collapse."

Charon smiled.

’Finally, real information for me to use for the rest of my life!’

"Within the soul resides the power of magic, the blueprints from which a mage can harness the energy of mana. Controlling this miraculous energy causes a mage to fill the holes in the blueprint, breathing life into a spell."

Charon rolled his eyes mockingly.

’Oh great, it’s only the simplest explanation of magic there is. The Mistress explained it to me a million times, not to mention how often the storybooks went over it.’

"This has often been painted as the major function of a soul, with the secondary feature being the ability to live on after death in the afterlife. What scholars are not knowledgeable about, however, is that the afterlife is not just a dual realm of joy and despair, but a connected series of worlds known as the Underworld."

Charon scoffed.

’Yeah, everyone knows that too. Did the High Priest give me the wrong book? I grew up in an orphanage and I’ve heard all of this.’

"Within the Underworld, there is a realm far larger than the others. Its size makes up more than half of the undead realms, and yet only a handful will ever know it exists. The reason for this is not known, although the primary assumption is that all ten gods made a pact to hide it."

This caught Charon’s attention, his eyebrows rising slightly.

’Hidden information? Now this is what I’m here for! Something that will give me an edge!’

"While normal souls are sent to a lesser realm, there exists a place for the strongest. For those who had been blessed or cursed by the gods to such an extent that the universe itself bends to accommodate their passing. When these titans fall, they are sent to this place, where they are guarded and watched over."

Charon turned the page with anticipation, his excitement growing with every word.

"There, upon this realm, lies a river, stretching endlessly into the distance. A warden marches along its shores, an order given to it from a time long forgotten. Here, in this land, do the strongest of souls reside, living on for eons in a maze of their own creation."

’Wait, I know this place. I was just there, not more than a day ago!’

"It is called the River Acheron, the hidden world of the strongest souls. It is this realm that the element of the soul draws its might. It is the most important location for you to know, for you will visit it often."

’Just as I thought! I went there to get my first summon, the Warden of the Acheron. It didn’t seem very scary, except for the Warden himself. It should be nice to visit every now and then, like a vacation!’

It was a silly thought, but he was trying to remain optimistic about everything that was going on.

"On the next page, you will find a ritual embedded into the book itself. Whenever you wish, you may send your mana into the ritual and enter the River Acheron. Here, you can unlock more of the mysteries of the soul. Beware, this realm is full of dangers, many of which could threaten the universe in its entirety. Do not break the Rules of Valric, which you will learn upon your first entry."

Beneath this paragraph was another, the last on the page.

"This will conclude the first half of Chapter One. The other half will be learned in the Fortress of Souls, a complex built eons ago in the River Acheron. Find it, and your learning shall continue. Good luck, and may the Null Sovereign guide you."

’That’s the second time they’ve mentioned the Null Sovereign. Is it a demi-god under Death?’

Charon sighed.

’Every time I look for answers, I get twice as many new questions.’

Turning the page, Charon saw what was probably the most intricate series of symbols he had ever seen. Thousands of unique runes were stitched together in a myriad of patterns, creating a ring that faintly glowed purple. In the center of the ring was another sequence of runes, but the shape of this one was more distinct.

It appeared to make some kind of face, jagged horns protruding from its forehead. A mouth of razor-sharp teeth and beastial eyes glared out, making Charon’s heart skip a beat.

The chains on his robe rattled faintly, and the cloth seemed to tighten.

At the very top of the page were more words, this time written in a language Charon definitely did not know, yet could understand all the same.

"Portal to the River Acheron."