Tree of Aeons

Year 148 (continued)

"Thank Aeons that went well." Edna breathed a huge sigh of relief. The two heroes, Alvin and Hans returned to the South.

On the very day the three heroes came to Freshka, we summoned quite a few of the high levelled Valthorns for an emergency preparation. The valley itself was loaded with many traps and magical weapons, ready to go off if the encounter in the Tree of Hero Items did not go well. 

Me too, personally relieved that for once, we avoided a battle. That is a rarity in this world, where fighting often is the way to settle large disputes. 

“I didn’t know they were the heroes.” Lovis complained, and her fellow Valthorns sympathised. Almost all of them were informed only when they came into the many holding areas prepared around the valley. “In hindsight, it’s obvious.”

Edna laughed in relief. “Most of us are just going to serve as meatshields for Aeon’s magical weapons.” I had multiple hero items prepared, and was prepared to even detonate the entire valley around me to secure a victory. In Patreeck’s simulation, we would likely have deaths of about half of Freshka, and almost all of the high leveled Valthorn’s dead, most of it collateral damage, in a battle between us and the two heroes. 

It wasn’t going to be pretty, and I wasn’t sure if the two heroes have any trump cards. 

When Patreeck had included a 30-50% increase in their damage and power, and I’d probably lose my main trunk, Freshka and all the colleges a smoldering ruin. As long as my [heart] is hidden somewhere deep below, I think I could still rebuild. But if they have some kind of detection ability, I’m dead. 

I would need more levels. 

-

News from the Temples. The refusal of heroes to wage a 2nd crusade seemed to set off a chain of internal conflicts, and rather than let the populace question whether the gods truly are in control of the heroes, the gods seemed to have decided on a 2nd divine message.

Full scale war is prohibited, but the Central Continent and all that is associated with Aeon is to be a pariah, persona non-grata. Essentially, a return to the status quo. The central continent remains ‘cursed’, even with two heroes on their side.

I was rather amused that the gods would so quickly intervene and issue a 2nd divine message.

Kei also returned to Freshka after the incident. 

“Good job.” I spoke to her after she sent the two off. “It went pretty much the way you planned it to.”

“The book only managed to convince them to suspend conflicts. Too bad they weren’t willing to add their own to it.”

“Now that issue is temporarily fixed, what’s next?”

“The next demon king, of course.” It’s getting boring, honestly. Come on, how many demon kings do we have to go through? Its’ that’s the nature of maintenance, it’s all boring and no one ever thanks you, but when something fucks up then everyone is out to get you.

After the announcement, the story from the temples pivoted massively.

“The temples now claim that Aeon is a fallen archangel of the gods, that have been punished for going astray and thus turned into a tree. That Aeon is still a servant of the gods that has lost its way, so the temples now preach that the cursed continent are people who need salvation and clarity, that Aeon is one in need of guidance.” One of the spymasters explained the news from the continents.

It was a massive WTF moment.

“The crusade was the temple’s attempt of guiding Aeon back to the proper path, but the gods have now found mercy and decided to let time bring Aeon back into their fold.”

Who writes this sort of propaganda for the temples? And the populace just buy into this sort of wonky reasoning so easily? Seriously? 

“So, Aeon, other than the cursed and heretic, is also now the Fallen Archangel of Gods, the wayward one, the deceived and the deceiver. The heroes must brave a journey to the cursed land to reclaim the weapons of gods, left in the Fallen Archangel’s hands.”

“Wow.” If I had a jaw, it would be wide open now.  “Seriously the temple’s propaganda machine is quite impressive.”

“So, the Cursed Continent is also the Lost Continent. Lost, because our people have fallen astray from the light of the Gods, Gaya, Aiva, Hewa and Neira. The heroes, in their mercy, have convinced the gods that it is unnecessary to slay the wayward ones on the Central Continent, and instead, the heroes will devote their efforts in convincing and guiding the lost, back from the brink.”

They somehow manage to twist the failed 2nd crusade into a ‘draw’. 

“Aeon would denounce the declaration and claim that they are not followers of the gods, but it is a lie.”

If I even come out to say it is wrong, it’ll just play into their claim that I’m lost. Still, I had to do it. I summoned my Patreearches and Matreearches, and made them start a series of counter-propaganda sermons. 

But war with the other temples is indeed pointless. Ugh. 

The nobles that contacted the outsiders were surprised by how quickly the four temples folded, and the crusades dead before they even landed. The fact that the two heroes actually came into Freshka and then into the valley is a secret unknown to most, only those alerted to the emergency combat preparations. 

The Lords were clearly smart enough to deny such a conversation of shifting sides ever happened. It wasn’t in their interest, now that the winds have shifted, to admit so. 

I decided to let it go. There’s just far too many people planning for contingencies anyway, they would not be the first, nor the last. 

-

Arlisa hid in a small tree in the forests, on the outskirts of Freshka. She was now almost 8, and yet she looked like a 15-year old. As a half elf, maybe it was the human side of her. 

“Don’t tell momma where I am.” She mentally whispered to me, her [lesser stealth] upgraded into two skills, [Forest-blending] and [Stealth]. She was dodging her sparring lessons again. Lausanne needed to work to find her. 

“Why do you dislike sparring anyway?” She was good at it. 

Arlisa pouted. “I like hiding more.”

“Found you.” Lausanne smirked as she appeared next to her in a quick jump. She gave her daughter a tap on the head. 

“Ouch.” 

“Now back to class.” 

“Don’t wanna.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t wanna.” Arlisa protested. “Let me play.”

“I don’t recall being so rebellious at your age, young lady.” Lausanne frowned. “You gotta go for classes.”

Arlisa didn’t care. She just shouted and protested. She preferred to be playing hide and seek with her mom. 

-

Year 149

It’s been 28 years since I last used a [soul-strengthening seed], and also, I’ve got a few ginsengs of sufficient maturity. This time, I have a few 25-year old ginsengs. I’ve planted them around Freshka, a few near the leylines, and some in the volcano. Surrounded by a huge army of beetles. 

“Lausanne, do you want it?”

“What... is this?” 

“Something to break your level limit.”

She thought for a while, and then shook her head. “As with the special class, I believe there are others more suited for it.”

So, I went for another. 

“Edna. You’ve served me for the past 29 years as my first [Grand Knight], and it is time for me to grant you a blessing like that of Jura. With this, you will be able to exceed your current level limit, and take on responsibilities far greater than what you have now.”

She nodded, and as with Jura so many decades ago, she had a whole night of pain and aches. The next day, she looked healthier, her soul glowing just like Jura’s. I could tell she gained a few levels, just like Jura, overflow levels from all her accumulated experience. 

“So we were right, Jura really received a gift from you.” Edna marvelled at her body. Breaking this limit seemed to unlock more vitality in them, and that reflected in their physical strength, all increased by a bit. I wondered whether heroes are therefore different in this key aspect, that they are born with far greater vitality than anyone else, since the concept of a level limit did not even occur to them.

“Was it not obvious?”

“No. Jura did not explain, and we have been wondering for quite some time.” Edna paused, and knelt before the tree of prayer. She thought for a while, and then she just quietly prayed.

-

After Edna, next was Faris. I had some concerns of making a druid stronger, mainly fear that the power he gained would allow him to gain control over me. 

Lately, I’ve begun to gain some confidence in my own abilities, and [domain] is a far stronger shield for all these subtle manipulations and controls than I expected. So, I’ve dabbled with the idea of making Faris stronger. 

I offered him the same blessing, and he too took it. Just like Edna and Jura, he had a day of pain and aches, and the next day he emerged with an extra two levels. Unfortunately their classes did not change.

“I believe both your classes will change when you hit level 100.” Jura explained to the two. “Just as mine did. It is a great privilege and honor, and also a responsibility. More than ever, your lives are now intertwined with Aeon’s will.”

“Aeon’s will?”

“You have spoken and discussed with Aeon many times, but this choice reflects that he too, has greater plans for both of you.” 

“What sort of plans?”

It was then I immediately jumped in. “These plans are not one for the outside world, or for the temples. Not even your fellow Valthorns, unless they too, receive this same blessing.”

The two gulped. 

“I aim to end the cycle of demons and heroes, to do so, I must have champions at my side.” Jura shrugged, I had privately discussed this with him earlier. “Over the next few decades, or perhaps centuries, but it will be so. My champions will be there to lay the foundations, and to do what I cannot do. It is a position of tremendous trust and responsibility.”

Faris seemed lightheaded for a moment. “End the cycle...”

Edna had a serious, contemplative look on her face. 

“Think about it, do you think the other gods seriously want to end this cycle, or they are just content with this present status of constantly fighting with the demons?”

They thought about it for a long while. Edna was first to say. “What do I do?”

“Not immediately. It is important that you gain strength, and secondly, watch your mind. The other gods have attempted to attack my mind multiple times, and I will attempt to aid you, to resist those powers. Every day, you shall have at least a cup of herbal tea, and if you ever feel like you have a mental attack or feel lightheaded, you must let me know, I will attempt to support your mind. It is one of the things we must do, to gain the powers to resist mental attacks.”

Patreeck’s able to use his mental attack powers to also provide some limited ‘shielding’, but only in the valley of Freshka. 

“Your goal is to reach Level 150. At level 150 you unlock the first of the [domain] powers, and enter the realm of true champions. Only then, we can dream of catching up to the heroes.”

For me, even at Level 170, fighting a level 110+ hero like Kei is still a 50:50 thing. If Kei had a more ground-focused ability, or was a more ‘martial-oriented’ hero, she would have won against me easily. Level 150 is nothing more than a ticket to be in the race, with a huge advantage for the heroes. I think they would need to be Level 170 or 180 to fight a level 110 hero.

Or maybe, the domain choices they have then would be more combat-oriented.

“150!” They both gasp. It was twice their current level. 

“I will help you. Some [experience seeds] will get you closer to that goal, but after this, the three of you must fight many strong foes by yourselves. Only then you will gain the experience needed to level up.”

I believe I’ll have to give out fragments too, once I get past 100 hero fragments. The experience support and anti-demonic buffs would be useful. 

“It is a huge task, one we will need to achieve over the decades. It is alright if we miss the next demon king, or the one after. All we need is one successful shot, and we can end this madness for good. Too many lives lost over the millennia to this pointless conflict.”

They all nodded.

“I’ve always lived thinking this demon king thing was just a regular event, where even kings or heroes can’t stop it. To be part of an attempt like that, I must say, fills me with a purpose I cannot describe.” Edna said. “It is a worthy goal.”

“Speak to no one else of the goal. The other gods are watching, and they will attempt to use their powers to influence you.” Again, another set of nods. “If anyone asks, the goal is to gain power. For now, you are dismissed.”

Faris didn’t return home. He summoned a wolf and went for a long trek through the high mountains. The knowledge seemed to weigh on him a lot more than Edna.

-

“I hope they can take it.” I spoke to Jura privately.

“They had to know. Just like me. I had always suspected you have a larger goal, but I was not certain of the extent of how large it would be.”

“Yeah. This is a conflict far bigger than any one of us. They must know. This is a path that may take us in open conflict with the other gods and heroes.”

Jura nodded, “Of the Valthorns, they are most ready. Perhaps Lovis, next? Or would this power also extend to Yvon?”

Yvon is a soul-contractee, and I’m not sure how the soul-contract would interact with the soul blessing. “I’m not sure whether it can work with Yvon, not in her current state.”

“And that mind control thing... really? The gods tried?”

“Yes. I have deflected divine energies a few times.”

“Shit.” Jura said. “How do we even know if we’re compromised? What if I’m already under the influence of the gods?”

“At this point, I don’t know. It is something I am working on.” 

-

“Aeon wants all books on heretics, rebellions against the gods and all such things. If the other temples have records on the prior struggles with rebels and disbelievers, he wants it.”

It was clearly something that made people uncomfortable. “Is Aeon really a heretic?”

“Don’t ask me. Aeon wants a massive magical study on the work of heretics, their weapons and their processes.” The Decarches received the order first. The goal was simply, whether there are some kind of objects that naturally resist divine powers. If so, those items or elements would be very useful in the process of countering the gods.

> May we know your intent? < Lilies discovered that we were gathering the books some time later. 

The entire continent has swayed to my side, including Lilies’ inhabitants. It seemed to maintain an aloof relationship with their inhabitants, not bothered to really give directions or orders. But they were clearly monitoring them. 

Ah. Yes I should ask Lilies.  

> Blackstar Gems. They resist, but not absolute. We have some. < 

> Best eaten or consumed, or fused to the soul. Strengthens the soul from otherworldly influences <

Huh. What does that do to heroes? Lilies seemed to detect my thoughts.

> Reacts dangerously with star mana. Often explodes in contact. < 

> Really deep underground, where the sun doesn’t shine, where the light of the heavens do not touch. If you cannot find, you can make them. Leave most types of precious gem really deep underground, away from all light for a hundred years, with some anti-magic or anti-mana enchantments, and about one-tenth will turn into Blackstar Gems. < 

A hundred years to make.

“Blackstar Gems?” The temples seemed to have not made any mention of it, nor any books or records were kept on this. It existed mostly in geological and blacksmith books, but did not seem to elaborate much on its use. 

We soon found some from the merchants, such objects kept in various stores. 

It was a rather brittle object, small, really pitch black in color and seemed to reflect no light. It appeared quite like a matte black stone. It was not hard and did not store magic or mana like most gems. 

Quite like coal, if not as shiny. 

I was rather confused by that.

> For a temporary resistance against the divine <

I decided to just place it into my various types of labs for further study. If such an object really has anti-divine properties, perhaps I could make weapons or armor that grant those around me the ability to resist these forces. 

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