Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Harmony detailed the barrier that now surrounded the geode and by extension, Ruwen. Likely the purpose of this trap was to imprison or slow crystal thieves enough so the desiccated leprechauns could show up. He had no intention of waiting for them.

Ruwen created a fist-sized ball of light which he shoved between two crystals. The faint shadows caused by Glow grew more distinct from the brighter light and he sank through a shadow that touched his foot. Even in his human body, the Destruction Realm felt comfortable and familiar.

To Ruwen’s surprise, the barrier existed in the Shadow Realm as well—a thin silver colored sphere with a constantly distorting shape. It was no match for his Willpower and creating an opening required little effort

Once on the other side of the silver membrane, the tunnel appeared above Ruwen. Light from inside the geode created shadows in the tunnel Ruwen had carved to get here, and with another small surge of Will he stepped through the shadow and into the passageway.

Ting!

You have received the quest…

Eight Vaults of Enlightenment

The pristine black tourmaline has resonated with your Activated Root chakra, revealing the locations of the remaining Ceardai Vaults. Each vault contains crystals grown to awaken and empower dormant chakras.

Objectives

- Collect the Black Tourmaline of Foundation (Root chakra) (1/1)

- Collect the Carnelian of Desire (Sacral chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Citrine of Will (Solar Plexus chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Rose Quartz of Compassion (Heart chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Lapis Lazuli of Truth (Throat chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Amethyst of Insight (Third Eye chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Clear Quartz of Wisdom (Crown chakra) (0/1)

- Collect the Celestite of Transcendence (Divine chakra) (0/1)

Reward: Ceardai clan chakra manipulation knowledge (0/8)

Overlord and Uruziel passed through the barrier around the vault without issue, joining Ruwen in the passageway.

“Crossing traps like that is handy,” Ruwen said.

“I’d rather touch things,” Overlord said, his tone matter of fact not self-pitying.

“I know buddy,” Ruwen replied. “Someday. I promise.”

Ruwen displayed the new quest. “This quest overlaps with the Radiant Eight quest, only this quest is specifying where we get the crystals.”

“The System is pushing you into conflict with the leprechauns,” Uruziel said.

“That’s what I thought,” Ruwen replied. “It must really not want them running around.”

“All those crystals have names,” Overlord said pointing at the projected quest. “Did you Identify the one you took from here? It’s called Black Tourmaline of Foundation.”

“No, I just Analyzed it.”

Ruwen dismissed the projection and accepted the quest. He retrieved the crystal he’d just taken from Inventory and used Identify, projecting the results for everyone.

Name: Black Tourmaline of Foundation (Pristine)

Type: Primal Chakra Crystal

Quality: Legendary

Resonance Bound: Ruwen Starfield

Description: The Foundation stone is the first of the eight pillars of enlightenment, representing the connection between the environment and physical form. This crystal has been infused with earth energy by the Ceardai master crafters. Effects are amplified when in proximity to other Ceardai crystals.

Effect (Passive): Root Resonance – when held attunes to your Root chakra, accelerating Activation, Awakening, and Chakra Leveling by 25%.

Effect (Passive): Grounding Aura – when held creates a 10-foot field that nullifies 10% of destabilizing energies.

Effect (Passive): Primal Earth – when held establishes a direct link to earth energy sources within 500 feet.

Effect (Passive): Survival Boost – when held increases natural regeneration by 20%.

Effect (Passive): Clear Head - when held eliminates 20% of mental interference during meditation.

Effect (Passive): Earthy Grit - when held, +200 to Constitution.

Effect (Triggered): Root Blessing – once per day funnel all damage into the earth. Duration equal to Root Chakra level.

Uruziel pointed to the projection. “It’s called a Primal Chakra Crystal. Is ‘Primal’ used in the Faction sense or just meaning something ancient and primitive?”

“Maybe both,” Overlord replied.

“It’s too bad all those passives require me to hold the crystal,” Ruwen said. “That limitation really ruins its viability in combat.”

Ruwen dropped the projection and returned the crystal to Inventory but remained standing in the passageway staring at the vault.

“Why are we waiting?” Overlord asked.

“Hear me out,” Ruwen said.

“Oh no,” Uruziel whispered. “I hate it when you say that.”

Ruwen looked between Overlord and Uruziel. “We’re already in trouble with these leprechauns and they use the crystals in there to manipulate others via their chakras. If the leprechauns are from the Creation Realm, they don’t even have chakras of their own. That Foundation crystal said it was ‘Resonance Bound’ to me which I assume is the chakra equivalent of Soul Bound. That means the remaining crystals in that vault will likely match others.”

“You’re going to take the whole vault?” Uruziel asked.

“Excellent idea,” Overlord said.

“Thank you,” Ruwen responded, nodding at Overlord. “Can anyone think of a downside to this?”

After five seconds of thought, Uruziel met Ruwen’s eyes. “The dangers are unknown, but the benefits are clear. I agree it’s worth the risk.”

Ruwen immediately used Melt and Dig to carve out the area around the geode vault. Navigating around with Divine Domain meant the entire process took less than ten seconds. A small pillar of stone held up what looked like a rock sphere. Only the tunnel into the interior of the geode vault revealed the stone held valuable treasure.

Ruwen expanded his Void Band with a thought and with a practiced motion, sliced through the support pillar and scooped up the sphere.

A Notification appeared.

Disappearance of the Root Vault has accelerated the Guardian awakening process by 15 minutes.

Ruwen told Uruziel and Overlord the bad news. Even if Ruwen had known about the acceleration, he would’ve still taken the vault. The contents were just too valuable.

“Let’s go,” Ruwen said and Overlord and Uruziel returned to his mind.

Using Sixth Sense and Survey Ruwen calculated the exact distance to the surface before casting Blink. He appeared next to a tall mahogany tree and a surprised bushmaster viper immediately attacked. With a gentle wave, he sent the snake sailing into the nearby trees. He dismissed Glow.

Ruwen’s map updated with new quest information. Eight locations glowed, each marked with a different color corresponding to a chakra. He stood over the red mark that represented the Root vault.

"They're arranged in a line," Uruziel said.

"They match the chakra positions in the body,” Ruwen replied. “The orange marker for the Sacral vault is north of here.”

“Are we doing them in order?” Overlord asked. “It will make us predictable.”

Ruwen considered Overlord’s point. "You’re right, but they can track me anyway, and it feels wrong to do them out of order.”

"We could find chakra crystals in other parts of the world," Uruziel said. "The tracking magic might fade or only work locally.”

Ruwen removed the Black Tourmaline of Foundation from Inventory. It gleamed in the leaf-filtered sunlight—its hexagonal perfection unmarred by even microscopic flaws. He hummed the Root chakra's “C” note, and the crystal vibrated with surprising intensity, creating pulses of energy that traveled up his arm and down into his Activated Root chakra.

"It's incredible," Ruwen murmured.

Ruwen turned the crystal slowly, studying it from every angle with both normal vision and Harmonic Sight. Harmony revealed the crystal’s intricate energy patterns flowing through its structure.

"I don’t think we’ll find better crystals anywhere else,” Ruwen said. “These are perfect for me.”

“I agree,” Overlord said, "but it makes me wonder why these leprechauns are bothering with a human energy system? Why chakras?”

Before Ruwen could respond, a warning Notification flashed across his vision:

Tracking magic activated.

This location is being scanned by Ceardai Scouts.

Estimated triangulation time: 45 seconds.

"We need to move," Ruwen said, returning the crystal to his Void Band. "Their tracking us."

Ruwen made himself invisible and floated upward and out of the trees with Divine Domain. He checked his map again, identifying the exact location of the Sacral vault. The orange marker sat in a river delta fifty miles away.

The Amazon basin sprawled below Ruwen like a green sea, the mighty river and its countless tributaries creating a spiderweb of murky water. In less than a minute he descended into a dense section of jungle that the orange marker on his map promised hid the Sacral vault.

As Ruwen neared the ground, Harmonic Sight displayed the energy currents winding through the landscape. Something had altered the natural flow of power, causing the energy to converge on the spot where a small tributary branched off from a larger river, creating a perfect triangle of land.

Ruwen landed softly on the muddy ground, his Divine Domain preventing him from sinking into the sludge. Even without Harmony, he could feel the energy here—warm, fluid, and somehow... emotional.

Dismissing the Divine Domain, Ruwen sank into the mud. He placed a hand under his bellybutton, as the surrounding power surged into his body and around his Dormant Sacral chakra. It reminded him of falling too fast, when his stomach felt like it had disappeared.

"This place feels different from the Root vault," Uruziel said as she materialized beside Ruwen. "More alive, somehow."

Ruwen extended his Mental Domain to its maximum so his friends could explore without the danger of being separated from his mind.

Overlord appeared on Ruwen's other side, immediately frowning as he noticed the surroundings. "I hate mud."

"Pine told me the Sacral chakra affects adaptability, creativity, and passion," Ruwen said. “It makes sense it would be around so much water.”

Ruwen activated Survey, Stone Echo, and Sixth Sense. Beneath the surface, a complex network of underwater caves and tunnels revealed itself, all centered around a large chamber directly beneath this triangle of land.

"The vault’s underwater," Ruwen said. "About two hundred feet down."

"Is there a natural entrance?" Uruziel asked, scanning the riverbanks.

Ruwen hummed the Sacral chakra's note—"D"—and the surrounding water rippled in response. Harmonic Sight revealed a section of the riverbank that now radiated a soft orange light.

"There," Ruwen said, pointing at the glowing section.