Chapter 268 – Floor 58: Part 1

  Essence: Aura – Tier 4 – Soulbinding Gaze

  With a prolonged look into a target’s eyes, the user creates an emotional and spiritual tether, enslaving the target’s heart and soul. The target becomes obsessed with the user, willing to go to any lengths to please or serve them. Even if separated, the target can feel the user’s moods and intentions.

  Floor 58: Summoning a Demigod

  You have found the location of a temple dedicated to the demigod Primogenitor ‘Eryn.’ As a demigod, she exists on a plane separate from the mortal realm. In order to summon a Demigod to the mortal plane, you must enter one of the few temples consecrated with their holy presence.

  Reach the Temple and summon the Demigod Primogenitor, Eryn.

  The soft patter of rain against the pavement filled the silence as Mathew and Adelaide stood across from each other on the darkened street outside the Clan Exaltis building. The skyscraper loomed behind them, its lights gleaming faintly through the misty drizzle.

  The city seemed quieter than usual as if the rain had muted its relentless energy, leaving the two figures in a bubble of calm amidst the storm.

  After a moment, Mathew stepped closer with the same commanding grace that now seemed a part of him. The faint glow of his blue eyes cut through the dim light, reflecting slightly in the raindrops that clung to his black jacket.

  Even now, he radiated a magnetic aura, a force so palpable that Adelaide felt its pull despite her status as an Elder.

  Adelaide stood her ground with the hood of her coat pulled up to shield her from the rain. Her hands were clenched into fists where they were tucked into her pockets. Yet, beneath her calm exterior, her heart raced.

  Seeing Mathew again like this was both a relief and a worrying revelation. The man who stood in front of her was not the same person she remembered, and she was sure that wasn’t a good thing.

  “Adelaide.” Mathew said, his voice soft yet easily carrying over the sound of the rain as if the elements themselves were parting for him.

  “Mathew.” She replied, her tone measured, although she could feel the weight of his gaze pressing against her. He was her Scion; she had given him her own Aether-Blood!

  Why did it seem like she had lost complete control over him?

  For a moment, neither of them spoke a word. The rain continued to fall, and cars passed occasionally, their headlights cutting through the gloom. However, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them.

  “What’s happened to you? I searched the Power Plant for days, but I couldn’t find a trace of you. I was worried, and now you come back and….you’re different.” Adelaide admitted, her voice faltering at the end.

  She felt like she was the Scion instead of a centuries-old Elder. Maybe it was because Mathew was the first person she had blessed with her Aether-Blood, but she felt protective and concerned about his well-being. Seeing him like this, so cold and hard, was terrifying.

  The rain continued its gentle descent, the sound filling the quiet as Mathew’s glowing eyes locked onto Adelaide’s.

  “Different.” Mathew repeated before letting out a familiar sigh. The coldness seemed to drain out of him, and his eyes, which had been intensely glowing, faded until they were merely a bright but normal blue. He ran his fingers through his hair in that familiar habit that Adelaide remembered before speaking.

  “I’m not your Scion, Adelaide. I’m not a member of Clan Exaltis. Christ, I’m not even from this world.” Mathew confessed.

  “I don’t understand.” Adelaide replied.

  “I was sent from the Tower of Avarice. It’s…a place that exists outside of your world. It connects all the different, infinite versions of Earth together. Anyone who enters it has to work for the gods that control it. In exchange, we get the chance to obtain a single wish. This isn’t my world; it’s just another Floor that I need to complete on my way to the top of the Tower.” Mathew explained.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Mathew, are you alright? We can get you help; the Clan has people who are experienced with this sort of thing. It can be common in people who absorb too much Aether too quickly.” Adelaide offered, stepping forward and resting her hand on his arm.

  She assumed that Mathew had lost his mind during the events of the Power Plant, either from what had happened there or from absorbing too much Aether.

  Seeing how concerned she was for his welfare, Mathew let out a tired chuckle and shook his head.

  “I’m not crazy. Here, I’ll show you.” Mathew said.

  Without breaking eye contact, Mathew slowly lifted his right hand to the side. His fingers curled as though they were gripping something unseen, and Adelaide could see a slight strain on his face as if he were lifting something heavy.

  For a moment, there was nothing. The space between them was empty and unassuming. Then, with an almost imperceptible ripple in the air, the Wrathful Blade emerged. It was as if he had reached into the fabric of reality itself, tearing the weapon from another dimension.

  The massive sword materialized in his grasp; a rusted executioner’s blade was a brutal, timeworn relic. The weapon’s once shining blade was now dull and corroded with reddish-brown rust that looked unnervingly like dried blood.

  The edge of the sword was chipped and uneven, giving it a savage appearance. Its hilt was wrapped in worn, blackened leather that was frayed from centuries of use.

  “How… how did you do that?” She stammered. After a moment, Mathew returned the sword from where he had retrieved it. With his hands once again empty, Mathew gestured for Adelaide to follow him.

  “Come on, we can talk as we drive.”

  Page Break

  Beneath the restless streets of New York, hidden from mortal eyes and protected by the elite members of the Clans of her lineage, lay a Temple dedicated to the Primogenitor, Eryn. Its entrance was concealed behind layers of forgotten infrastructure and labyrinthine tunnels.

  It was a place that even the bravest amongst the Clans rarely visited.

  The temple was a cathedral carved from the earth; its walls were black stone that drank the light of the ever-burning torches that flickered along its perimeter. Every surface was inscribed with runes and symbols that pulsed faintly with light.

  The air was heavy with the scent of fresh blood despite the centuries since it was first constructed. Eryn’s essence permeated everything here, and her consecrated blood stained the altar and the chamber’s heart. The surface of which was polished to a mirror-like sheen.

  Surrounding the altar were towering statues of the Primogenitor, each depicting her in different forms. One was a beautiful seductress with her breasts bare, one was a ruler on her throne, and the last was a vengeful harbinger wielding an axe.

  Each of the statues faced the entrance of the Temple, adding to the awe-inspiring and suffocating feeling that struck Adelaide as she hesitantly followed Mathew inside. Her Scion had led them here without trouble, following the instructions given to him by the Clan Grand Elders.

  Even now, Mathew seemed unaffected by the grandeur of the Temple, struggling off the suffocating atmosphere that left Adelaide wanting to flee in terror.

  Adelaide barely had time to process everything Mathew had told her on the way here. His background and his quest to help someone he cared for in the Tower of Avarice. Learning that she had been used by a deity had been disconcerting, but she was glad Mathew had told her.

  Despite Mathew’s insistence that she didn’t need to follow up down here, she wanted to help him in any way she could. But, truth be told, a small part of her wanted to see the Primogenitor in person.

  “What do we do now?” Adelaide asked, her voice quiet as not to echo off the wall of the chamber.

  “Now, we summon a Demigod.” Mathew replied as he approached the altar at the center of the room.

  He stood in front of the altar and felt the oppressive stillness of the chamber pressing down on him. The flickering light cast sharp shadows across his face as he drew a dagger from his inventory. The blade was slender and sharp, etched with the image of a bird in flight.

  It was the same dagger he had used in the duel a few days ago, and he had obtained both it and its twin from the Steward at the Highborn’s mansion. Enhanced with magic, he felt that it was a waste to leave them there.

  With deliberate precision, Mathew turned the dagger and drew its blade across the palm of his left hand. The cut was clean, a thin line of crimson that welled up almost immediately. Turning his hand, he let his blood drip onto the altar.

  As the first drop hit the altar’s surface, the chamber seemed to exhale. The polished black stone drank in the blood like parched earth, and faint red veins coursed through it. A deep, echoing hum filled the room as the altar responded to the offering.

  Mathew remained still, his hand poised over the altar, his blood falling onto the altar and calling to the Primogenitor, who recognized both his lineage and Mathew’s absorption of a drop of one of her sibling’s blood.

  The air grew heavier, and was charged with an energy that pricked against his skin. There was a sudden rush of air, and a crack began to form in one of the walls. It soon opened into a portal formed of blood, a crimson passage to the divine realm of the demigod, Eryn.

  With the summoning complete, Mathew allowed the wound on his hand to heal as he heard the faint sound of the Tower informing him of his success.