Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ruin stood at the boundary between the Destruction Realm and the Material Realm trying to determine the best way to approach his friends.

The loss of spirit meant Ruin couldn't summon Overlord. His core now contained condensed destruction essence, which he didn't know how to use. Harmony still didn't work because his current state was so out of balance, so demonstrating that wouldn’t be possible.

Ruin could still summon the Ink Lord armor and the Scarecrow Aspect, but that would not hide the fact he stood over a foot taller. He couldn’t demonstrate his level two soul because it remained damaged from transporting an entire city.

The only thing Ruin could rely on were his memories, but he didn't know if that would be enough to convince everyone. If he’d been thinking, he would’ve brought Rami with him before she started working with her dad.

Even the state of his fortified body had changed, as the complete conversion of his body into destruction essence had raised his fortification level to Archangel.

As Ruin thought through the hundreds of hypotheticals, he realized his memories might not be sufficient, as the creature he now looked like might be capable of absorbing another’s memories.

Even Vex looked different. Rami had recognized Ruin despite his new appearance and, in hindsight, had accepted it quickly. Perhaps that was due to the bond, though.

Thankfully, Ruin's complete understanding of the Bamboo Viper Steps had allowed him to regain his mastery despite the changes to his body. He believed no one could stand against him, which should prove his identity.

Ruin shook his head. His quick mastery of the steps despite a new body might work against him, as most would believe such adjustments would take far longer.

Ruin placed his hands over his stomach as it clenched in worry and doubt. He felt like vomiting.

Overlord appeared in Ruin's peripheral vision. Uruziel said to trust your friends.

Ruin considered the advice. I don't have much to give them to earn their trust.

She believes you have more than you think.

For the hundredth time in the past hour, Ruin gave a large sigh.

Overlord disappeared, and Ruin clenched his hands. He needed to either do this or retreat because he couldn't keep standing here without being noticed. It was a miracle no one had stumbled across him already.

Ruin removed his armor and stored it away with the bow and quiver. He used his wings to wrap his body, creating shadowy pants and shirt. He forced himself to take a step forward and then another.

The boundary between realms repelled him with a constant sensation of wrongness. Even this close, his body felt weaker, and he guessed that weakness would increase greatly upon stepping into the Material Realm.

Moonlight meant it was evening, but Ruin didn't know the time. It was possible everyone had already gone to bed, and he didn't think waking anyone up in his current form would benefit the case he needed to make.

The only way to know for sure required Ruin to cross the threshold between realms. He couldn't see clearly into the Material Realm from his current position, and he couldn’t get any closer without entering the Material Realm.

Ruin gathered his courage and stretched a hand outward to grasp the moonlight. He didn't know if this would work, but using the energy as a rope to assist his escape from the Destruction Realm felt right.

The moonlight had substance and allowed Ruin to pull himself upward. He yanked downward, causing his body to fly upward, through the thin threshold, and into the Material Realm.

The sense of wrongness increased exponentially. Ruin felt like a fish out of water, and he leaned against one of the forest trees to regain his balance. He remembered his fight with the Realm Warden in the swamp and how Zylkin had mentioned not having his full strength in the Material Realm. Ruin now understood.

Ruin didn't exactly feel weak, but certainly a significant portion of his strength had disappeared, or maybe repressed was a better word. His skin prickled as a thin film of destruction essence sizzled and evaporated all across his body. He wondered if he’d disappear if he stood here long enough.

Ruin used a fraction of his willpower to harden his skin against the Material Realm, and the uncomfortable sensation stopped.

Studying the surroundings, Ruin felt drawn toward every visible—and some invisible—sources of power. The greatest concentration stood just outside the forest—behind the walls of his alchemical camp.

Xavier floated in a well-worn circle along the inside of the wooden walls. Ruin detected not only Xavier but the energy the celestial left behind him like a snail.

Ruin hadn’t considered the guards, and another worry piled onto his overflowing list. He needed to avoid them until he convinced his friends about his identity. That would be easier with his close friends, and he doubted he could ever convince Xavier on his own.

If things went bad, Ruin needed to make sure he could easily re-enter the Destruction Realm. If Sift attacked with his level three soul or Xavier blasted him with plasma, it would likely cause severe damage to Ruin’s destruction body and possibly even kill him.

It took effort to remain in the Material Realm, so Ruin relaxed his will to stay. His body immediately sank into the Destruction Realm like a stone dropped in water.

Satisfied with the possibility of a quick retreat, Ruin moved through the Destruction Realm until he sensed the dense power of his camp above him. He re-entered the Material Realm through the shadow of the dining hall, aided by the moonlight that had created the shadow.

The destruction essence that filled every cell in Ruin's body yearned to smash through the wall and consume the dense sources of power inside the building.

The shadows allowed Ruin to move effortlessly, while energy-rich areas provided resistance, like walking into a wind, as his body consumed a path through the power.

Ruin slid around the building until he stood in front of the door. Panic surged through him, and he stood paralyzed.

What pushed Ruin to action was the worry that someone would open the door from inside or a guard would discover him, causing him to lose the ability to explain the situation in a controlled manner.

Terror joined Ruin's panic, and his heart thudded loudly in his chest.

It took all his courage to open the door and step into the room.

Hamma and Blapy sat on one side of the nearest table, Sift and Lylan directly across from them. The end of the table faced Ruin, and three heads turned to look at him; only Blapy continued her activity.

Each of them had multiple pieces of paper scattered in front of them. Two golden boxes sat in the center between them, and colored sticks poked out of the containers. Io stood like a sentry between the boxes, his blade buried an inch into the wooden table.

Ruin suddenly realized he’d spent so much time worrying about his friends’ reactions, he hadn’t considered what to say.

Ruin’s eyes locked with Hamma’s, and his thoughts cleared.

“Did you save my desserts?” Ruin asked.

Sift hissed and looked at Hamma. “You were taking them.”

Hamma’s cheeks reddened, but she kept her gaze on Ruin.

“Who are you?” Lylan asked.

Ruin shifted his attention to Lylan. “I’m Ruwen.”

Sift narrowed his eyes. “Really? Something seems off. Did you get a haircut?”

Lylan punched Sift, who absently rubbed his shoulder.

“Sorry,” Hamma said softly, “but I’m sure you understand our doubt.”

The tension in the room increased, except for Blapy, who continued to color her page.

Ruin frowned but stayed in the doorway, not wanting to spook anyone. “I know. But the core had a bracelet, and I lost my body. Then the book came because destruction essence finished a quest.”

Hamma and Lylan stared blankly at Ruin.

“I feel like I almost followed that,” Sift said.

The three friends all looked at the dagger in the center of the table, and Ruin realized they were speaking together in Chat.

“I know I look different right now,” Ruin said. “And I can’t prove I’m Ruwen. This stupid body messed up Harmony, and my Void Band disappeared.”

“The connection remains,” Blapy said, not looking up from her picture. “Which means Ruwen isn’t dead. What’s interesting is the Void Band connection leads to you.”

Ruin relaxed. Thankfully, Blapy had helped prove his identity.

“Of course,” Blapy continued. “It could be the residual connection remaining after you ate Ruwen or perhaps resulting from you slurping up Ruwen’s brain.”

Ruin noticed Sift’s confused expression.

“It’s a real word,” Ruin said automatically, like he’d had hundreds of times before. “It means this creature ate my brains with loud sucking noises.”

Everyone stared at Ruin.

“It could have all Ruwen’s memories,” Lylan said. “It would know to correct Sift.”

“I’m not an ‘it,’ I’m a me,” Ruin responded.

“Very profound,” Sift said thoughtfully. “But that only proves you’re some type of monster. Ruwen was never profound, True God protect his eaten soul.”

Ruin frowned again and stared at Sift. “Are you serious? I’m way more profound than you. How many of your stupid self-help pastries have my sayings on them?”

“A broken mirror casts the most reflections,” Sift replied.

Ruin opened his mouth to respond but shut it and thought for a second. “Wow, that is actually kind of profound. Are you saying I’m wise because I’m a broken mirror?”

“No. Ruwen, True God rest his soul, reflected his flaws like a broken mirror. Only a sage such as myself could see clearly enough to piece together wisdom from such a mess.”

Ruin pointed at Sift. Hamma came up next to Ruin, and he absentmindedly put his arm around her. “Stop calling yourself a sage. You—”

Ruin bit off his response as he focused on Hamma, who hugged him tightly.

Hope filled him as he turned and placed his other arm around her.

Hamma’s skin blackened where it touched Ruin’s body, and he tried to pull away. “I’m hurting you!”

Hamma hugged Ruin tighter. “I’m a healer. I’ll be fine.”

Ruin closed his eyes in relief. “I thought this would be harder,” he whispered.

Blapy responded, “Our first clue was the hour it took you to step into the Material Realm and approach the camp. Only you would overthink something like that for so long. Io confirmed it once you got close. He assured us it's Ruwen’s mind floating around up there.”

Ruin berated himself for not thinking of that. Io had filled his mind and two of his Meridian connections with Creation essence. That had to be rare.

Hamma pulled away, her skin returning to a healthy color as she healed herself. “What happened?”

“I wanted to wait and come back after I figured out how to get my other body back. But then I found some information that’s so important I couldn’t risk waiting. If Lalquinrial returned or Varnoth chucked me into the void despite Rami’s—”

Blapy’s coloring slowed and then stopped at the mention of Varnoth’s name.

“Now you did it,” Blapy whispered, stopping Ruin’s explanation.

A Divine force descended, and it became hard to breathe.

Miranda appeared in all her glory.

Blapy, however, didn't disappear, and for the first time, Ruin felt the harsh gaze of both Divine personalities at the same time.