The exit portal looked like the entrance one. Purple, swirling, a gash in the fabric of reality. Considering Diven had only seen it for a moment before falling into it—and that it had been underwater—his minds weren’t sure if it was just an impression.
Regardless, they were sure it was the real deal. All they had to do was step through it and they would be safe.
Safe from the faceless abominations inhabiting this rift at least.
Div and En just had to get through the three masked guardians who would no doubt do everything they could to stop them.
(They know.)
[Bird would have noticed the change in our skill and facet.]
Their behavior had changed. No longer were the guardians on the offensive, trying to take Diven down. Instead, they formed a defensive line to prevent him from approaching the stone where the exit was located.
They couldn’t afford to let the boy leave.
Grateful for the chance to catch their breath, Div and En faced them from a distance. The fight hadn’t been easy on them. With Div using so much rot-attuned mana to heal their wounds, they were feeling nauseous.
Furthermore, for all the miraculous properties of Echoes of the Rot Heart, their healing skill had a major downside: it left scars on their body.
The two long wounds inflicted by Dog and Feline’s claws pulled at their skin, making their movements stiffer than necessary.
[What do we do, En?]
(We need to get through them… Let me think.)
The obvious solution would be to use Blighted Passage. With only Feline capable of reading their movements, they should be able to find a gap in their defense.
But there was an issue with the skill.
As Diven had noticed when he was still whole and figuring out the mist covering the rift, the black stone had a suppressing effect on the fifth direction.
With Div and En’s improved proficiency in the skill, it wasn’t too bad as long as they weren't right next to the stone.
But Feline’s fifth direction skill was Evolved Rank. He should be even less restricted than them.
(Rather than the stone, it’s probably the exit portal that is preventing us from using Blighted Passage in its proximity.)
[It would fit with the guardians’ story.]
(So Feline should be close to being capable of using his skill through the gate… Not ideal.)
[There are at least ten meters around the portal where I can’t detect the fifth direction at all.]
With their best escape skill limited by the circumstances, Div and En were unsure how to proceed. Blighted Passage, and The Fifth Direction before it, were the main reasons they had survived for so long.
Without it, they were lost.
For once, En was unable to come up with a solution. As he and Div rummaged through their brain, Dog spoke up, “Diven. We can still negotiate.”
[Seems like they’re also unsure if they can stop us.]
“What is there to negotiate? You want to kill me.” Diven said.
“We can make sure the ritual only takes your skill, keeping you alive,” Dog argued. “Then we’d help you train back up. Imagine, one Ascended Rank and two Evolved Rank–soon to ascend–tutoring you.”
(What should we do? I don’t trust them one bit.)
[Me neither. But, despite their bad intentions, they’ve been somewhat naive. We can work this to our advantage.]
(Tell me.)
[Let’s play hard to get for now.]
“It’s hard for me to trust you after all that happened between us.”
“We’ll put our cards on the table for you,” Dog said. “We know the exit has been revealed to you. There’s a non-zero chance you can slip past us. However, we’re nearing the end of our Evolved Rank lifespan. We need your help, and we’ll do anything to get it.”
“Then why didn’t you extend this offer before? Instead of trying to force my hand.”
Dog took a step forward, raising his clawed hand up in the air, “We apologize. Greed, arrogance, we didn’t think you’d be able to escape from our grasp, so we didn’t see the point in trading with you. Now, however, you have our respect. This is the first time someone has come close to leaving our rift. Completing three facets is beyond what we thought possible.”
“And how can I be sure that you won’t renege on your deal once the ritual is over?”
“You can’t,” Feline joined the discussion. “You’ll need to trust in our integrity. But if that makes you feel better, we’ll need you near the stone to perform the ritual. We’re also putting our trust in you.”
(If they’re honest in their intention to tutor us…)
[You’re not thinking about going through with it are you?]Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
(We need help, Div. We’re alone out there.)
[Still, moments ago you were seeing them as closer to monsters than humans.]
(I know, but maybe the ritual would strip us of our bloodline…)
[You’re ready to risk your life for such an uncertain result? I’m still convinced the ritual will kill us.]
(I almost feel like it's worth gambling on. Without the Rot Heart…)
Div paused, letting En’s words sink in. He had a hard time seeing his other half’s point of view.
Their exile was set in stone, assuming the ritual removed their bloodline–which the guardians never claimed it would–and that they survived the ritual, why would the elders revoke their banishment?
Their grandparents were staunchly against their family. They would veto any motion to reinstate Diven as a member of the clan. Just because they could.
Div was sure of it.
Furthermore, did he even want to get rid of the Rot Heart? As much as he had hated it when he awakened it, their bloodline had proven its worth in the rift. It was powerful. If Uncle Basil’s example was to be believed, it would allow them to reach the Ascended Rank.
It meant centuries of additional lifespan. An Ascended Rank could live up to three hundred years old, sometimes with a few additional decades.
Some of the clan’s elders had met Leios the founder and were still alive to tell the story.
Could Div really give up on this just because rot mana was unpalatable, and rejected by society?
[I can’t agree with you on that one, En.]
(Why?)
He knew that En wasn’t yet ready to accept it. He would wait, but for now, he had to push him off from the self-destructive path he was being convinced to follow.
[We can’t trust the guardians. We will find a way to return home, but not like that.]
(Then what do we do? If we don’t accept, leaving is going to be hard. They might believe we can escape, but there is always a chance of failure.)
[We accepted their offer. Then we leave when their guard is down.]
(That is not honorable.)
[Who cares, En? Who cares? They don’t deserve our respect after all they’ve done.]
En relented, giving Div full control over their shared voice.
“I’d like to ask you something,” Diven said.
“Go on,” Dog said.
“Is your ritual able to remove my bloodline?”
“Yes. It’s possible, although it depends on the strength of your bloodline and I don’t have direct control over whether or not it happens.”
“Then I accept—on the condition that you escort me out of the rift and help me reach at least the Evolved Rank,” Div said, lying.
“We can accept that,” Dog said.
“Agreed,” Feline concurred.
Bird nodded silently in agreement.
Dog continued, “Thank you, Diven. You will not regret this.”
(Div, they can remove our bloodline.)
[I told you it’s not worth the risk.]
(I think it is!)
[No it's not. Do you want to lose all our skills?]
(I mean, most of them are corrupted by rot. I kind of do, yes.)
“Diven, place yourself inside this circle next to the stone.” Dog instructed.
[Don’t be an idiot, En. Do I have to remind you we exist because of a skill?]
(It’s fine, we can merge back together. It’s worth it to remove the rot within us.)
[We’ll die.]
(It’s worth the risk.)
[You’ve lost your mind…]
(Listen, I don’t exactly trust those beasts either. But they’re the closest we have to a solution to our rot problem. I’ve never even heard of the possibility of removing a bloodline, and now they’re offering it to us? We can’t let that opportunity slip past us.)
Diven stepped into the circle the guardians had drawn in the snow. The three faceless were busying themselves repairing the few sections of the ritual that had been damaged by their fight.
The exit portal was just a few steps away.
[This is our chance, let’s go!]
(I can’t let you do that.)
Div tried to move toward the exit, but with En’s interference, they collapsed to the floor, their limbs flailing as they fought for control.
[En, stop it! You’re going to get us killed.]
(You stop it! You know we need to get rid of this bloodline.)
[No, I’m sorry but I’m going to take us out of this rift.]
Div stopped focusing on their body and instead entered their inner world. There, he approached the Rot Heart. It had grown again since he last saw it, with an increasing number of tendrils linking it to the two halves of the tree.
One of the halves had noticeably more tendrils connecting it to the heart.
Div’s half.
Using his superior control over rot-attuned mana, he flooded their inner world with everything the Rot Heart contained. There was so much of it it started spilling out of their spiritual space into the real world.
(What are you doing?!)
Div didn’t answer. He continued pushing as much mana into their body as he could. It didn’t feel good, but it was the only solution he could think of.
Submerged in a torrent of rot, En had no choice but to enter their inner garden and try to stem the tide. But there wasn’t much he could do. Div’s control was simply superior to his own.
With En busy fighting the rot, Div seized control of their body.
The guardians had noticed him falling to the ground but didn’t seem to care. This position made it less likely he would escape. It worked out for them.
Yet, with Div now able to move with more or less agility, he quickly stood up and started running toward the exit portal.
It was so close. He could almost feel the air of the Wildlands brush upon his skin.
Right before he was able to step through the portal, En noticed what was happening and stopped trying to contain the rot-attuned mana. Instead focusing his attention on stopping Div from leaving.
He tripped their legs together, sending their body flying to the ground.
But they were right in front of the portal. Belly on the snow, they slid headfirst into the gate.
In an instant, they were underwater. Caught off guard, they inhaled water. Acting on instinct, they kicked upward and pulled themselves onto the shore.
Lying on their back, they panted, their eyes gazing at the orange leaves that signaled the start of autumn. It didn’t exactly line up with their perception of time inside the rift, but with the absence of a day-night cycle…
(I hate you.)
[I won’t apologize for saving our life.]
Diven’s two minds fell into silence.
En didn’t understand why Div had stopped them from giving up their bloodline. Even with the risk of the guardians not keeping their word, it was worth it.
As for Div, he was fuming at En’s recklessness. At his reluctance to accept their bloodline for what it was.
The world recognizes your feat, new title acquired: Rift Pioneer.
For a moment, both Div and En forgot their anger and appreciated the reward. They still had no idea what titles were good for, but this one sounded better than Rotten Sun.
Surely it was something good.
The appearance of the title reminded them of all the progress they had made in the rift.
They had a new facet to choose.