Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The ten of them stepped onto level two and immediately found a wall twenty feet away with an arch entrance on each end.

The floor glowed faintly leaving the ceiling in darkness. Ruwen glanced up, feeling a small air disturbance above them. He immediately returned his focus to the doors, not wanting to ruin the point of the level before everyone began.

This level appeared to be a little on the nose and he wondered how long or even if any of his companions would begin to see the pattern. Like many things with the Steps, the clues were always in plain sight if you understood their meaning.

Prythus strode to the entrance on the right and with only a slight pause stepped through. When nothing happened he turned and disappeared down a hallway.

Nymthus strode to the opposite door and disappeared down a different hallway. After a moment, The other six members of Rung Four followed, three to each door.

Ruwen turned to Sift. “Are you going?”

Sift sat. “Not after I saw you glance at the ceiling and then look guilty.”

“I’m not guilty.”

“Well you looked weird. Weirder than normal anyway. Then I felt the air shift.” He nodded at the wall in front of them. “That’s probably some sort of maze?”

Ruwen sat as well. “That’s my guess.”

“Are you going to tell them?”

“Not right away. This level is very relevant to our situation and might be their best chance at understanding what the tower is trying to teach them.”

“We’re supposed to be learning something?”

“That’s a good question actually. If an Adept doesn’t immediately understand the purpose of this place, what value do the Founders believe comes from the Tower and its trials. It almost feels too late.”

“Unless the lesson is for later,” Sift said.

Ruwen nodded. After he’d figured out some of the hidden patterns the hard way, he’d realized the first trial had hid many clues in plain sight. They hadn’t meant anything until later, when he could understand them.

“What’s the plan after we get back home?” Sift asked.

Ruwen leaned back on his hands. His newly enhanced Wisdom brought one issue forward immediately. “Find Hamma and Lylan. I want to make sure they’re safe and explain why I disappeared. Echo couldn’t have struck at a worse time. I just spent six months agreeing and promising Hamma not to disappear and then I immediately vanish. That doesn’t look good.”

“I knew it was that demon,” Sift said. “How did she do it.”

Ruwen looked at Sift. “It’s basically your fault.”

“Mine? Impossible.”

“Remember when we left the Spirit Realm and you needed to wear that aspect? And then you cried like a baby until I wore mine too.”

“Cry like a baby doesn’t sound like me. I might have suggested wearing it though.”

Ruwen closed his eyes for a moment. “Uru give me patience,” he whispered and looked at Sift again. “Well, another aspect can trigger my aspect’s bind point teleport.”

It took Sift a few seconds to make the connection. “Which one?”

“Death.”

“How fitting. I hope you fixed that issue. I’m not sure they’d let you back here.”

“I did. Only fools are stabbed with the same knife twice.”

“Oh no, now you sound like Lylan.”

They laughed and sat for a minute in silence.

“What was it like there?” Sift asked.

“The details will need to wait until we’re somewhere more private. I met Echo’s parents though. Both of them. Along with a few of their friends.”

“She looked shocked to see you.”

“I know,” Ruwen said. He needed to find a way to keep Echo here without triggering the Clan oath.

“Enough about your vacation. What are we doing when we get back home.”

“Right. First the women. Then I need to talk with Big D, neutralize some crime lord in New Eiru, and then stop a civil war. I also need to catch up with my parents, Bliz, and Fractal.”

Sift frowned. “Can’t you ever just relax? We need a proper vacation. There’s an island chain in the Sea of Tears that grows peppers so hot they use them as weapons. They have a pepper-flavored ice cream that is famous. I want to try that.”

Sift continued describing all the pepper seasoned food he wanted to try, and how he hoped to make a spicy frosting for his bakery. Talk of the massive inland sea caused Ruwen’s thoughts to drift to the geography of their continent. Mountain ranges ran down the east and west coasts and the Sea of Tears, a vast inland sea, sat like a scar down the middle of the continent. Forests and tundra filled the north, and the south eventually gave way to desert.

Ruwen remembered Bliz talking about the power of the Void Band. How he could drain the entire Sea of Tears and that is something no Mage could ever accomplish. That made him think of Bliz and the danger the Crew Chief endured because of Ruwen’s absence.

All these thoughts made Ruwen second guess his decision to delay heading home to help Rung Four. The Sixth Rune had taken him literally everywhere in the entire Universe, and its vastness defied comprehension. He had seen hundreds of billions of galaxies containing trillions of stars. What did one planet in one galaxy matter?

Rationalizing away the desperate need of a planet because they seemed insignificant made Ruwen’s stomach turn. What he had told Lalquinrial in the Infernal Realm was true, when he became a god, he wanted to save everyone. Or at least try when he had the opportunity. It was an obligation the powerful had.

Ruwen refocused on Sift.

“…and they use their fins to wrap victims in seaweed before they eat them, armor and all,” Sift said.

Ruwen wondered how Sift had gone from pepper-flavored ice cream to fish covering people in seaweed. “Can we skip that part?” Ruwen asked.

“I guess, if you’re scared of getting eaten. But I’d really like to taste their jellyfish jam.”

They sat quietly for a few seconds and Sift continued, his voice serious. “How are you doing?”

Ruwen considered the question. So much had happened he hadn’t really processed it all. “Okay, I guess.”

“Really?”

Ruwen sighed. “I think I’m just burying it all away. So much that happens to me is life or death, and I just need to deal with it. Then I skip right to the next crisis. It has been a while since I just relaxed.”

“That’s why I keep saying we need a vacation. You’re too serious now, and I worry about you.”

“I know. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate that.”

“My life got a whole lot better after you showed up, and I don’t want it to end because you’re stupid and don’t listen to your friends.”

Ruwen nodded. “Your life got a whole lot better after you almost murdered me, you mean.”

Sift waved a hand dismissively. “I gave you the antidote before giving you fatal poison.”

“I’m so glad you got that in the right order.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ruwen shook his head and smiled. He had to admit his life had gotten a lot better after meeting Sift as well. So much had happened to them in the past two years.

Prythus exited the door opposite the one he entered. He looked around confused and his shoulders slumped. Ruwen changed his mind about how long he wanted to stay in this level. Before Prythus could enter one of the doors again he called out.

“Prythus, come sit with us,” Ruwen said.

Prythus sat across from Ruwen. “This level makes no sense.”

“A maze?” Sift asked.

Prythus nodded. “There are wide tunnels, narrow ones, and even a few you need to crawl through. They twist around and branch over and over again. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever make it back out.”

Ruwen locked gazes with Prythus. “And yet, after all that work and confusion, you ended up exactly where you started.”

“Yes,” Prythus responded.

“Meditate on that,” Ruwen said.

Prythus frowned but did as instructed. It took thirty minutes for the rest of the team to exit the maze.

When they all sat together again Ruwen spoke. “What is the purpose of this level?”

“To waste time,” one of the men said.

Prythus frowned at the man.

“A valid observation,” Ruwen said. “But not the best word. What do you think Sisen?”

“Consume not waste,” Sift said. “The maze consumes time as you navigate through it, just like the Steps consume your time as you master them.”

“Then why did it bring us back to the beginning?” Nymthus asked. “Isn’t the point of learning the Steps to become a Master? Shouldn’t we have reached an exit?”

“Perhaps the exit is hidden,” Prythus said. “We must have all missed it.”

“What if I told you the maze has no exit,” Ruwen said. “Only the two entrances behind you.”

All of Rung Four looked confused.

“What could that mean?” Ruwen asked.

They sat in silence for a minute, before Prythus finally spoke. “That becoming a Master is not an end.”

Nymthus answered next. “Or that once you’re a Master your Step journey begins again, as if you knew nothing.”

Ruwen let them discuss different possibilities for another five minutes. When the discussion quieted he turned to Sift. “Sisen?”

Sift looked around at the group before responding. “A circle contains endless beginnings and infinite ends.”

All eight of Rung Four bowed from their sitting positions, touching their foreheads to the floor.

Ruwen turned to Sift, impressed by his friend’s wisdom.

Sift looked miserable and whispered so quietly only Ruwen’s Diamond hearing picked it up. “I’m turning into my dad.”

Ruwen hid a smile. It did sound like something Padda would say. “Sisen Sift is correct,” Ruwen said. “Tonight, meditate on beginnings and ends. Now, let’s head up to level three, and see what lesson it holds.”

Ruwen and Sift stood and Rung Four did as well, their faces still showing confusion. They moved a few feet back to the top of the stairs and stopped. Ruwen’s Diamond senses detected a mass of people above them. Whatever level three held, it appeared to have halted at least two teams.

Two of the heartbeats above sounded familiar, their cadence slow and regular, despite the rapid thumping of all the others in the level. Ruwen had a good idea who might wait for them above.

The hidden passage above them had a fist sized rock protruding from the ceiling, and Ruwen jumped up and pushed it. A ladder slid out of the ceiling, striking the floor with a thud.

Ruwen pointed at the ceiling. “Age before beauty.”

Sift narrowed his eyes. “Why do you look happy?”

Ruwen tried to keep his face neutral. He really needed to work on hiding his emotions better. “I’m just excited to get to floor three.”

Sift frowned. “I doubt that.”

Sift looked up and instead of using the ladder, jumped, disappearing as his body passed through whatever veil the Founders used to separate the floors.

Ruwen heard Sift’s heartbeat immediately increase, confirming Ruwen’s suspicion. He turned to Rung Four. “Let’s go meet some Grandmasters.”