72 Another Gift from The Divine (1/2)

An unconscious Rainer lay on a bed. His head rested on Luna's lap as she operated her flame to gently soothe his pain, her abilities finding little purchase in healing whatever had happened to him. Thankfully, sensing his state through her familiar bond let the Fairy know that he was fine, if utterly exhausted.

Kara sat beside the fairy in meditation, but most of her mind dwelled upon what had just happened. She had felt a pressure that sought to consume the entire world around her and bring death with it. Then just as quickly as she felt it, it was replaced with Rainer's power.

And as quickly as that presence came, so too, did it disappear.

The wolfkin glanced over at the humming Fairy, seemingly unbothered by the situation. Luna had told them all that Rainer was in no danger despite the blood seeping from his ears, eyes, and nose at the conclusion of Sasha's healing.

It certainly didn't make it any easier to believe.

Kara had previously let herself be distracted by the happiness shared between the couple and the rest of the party's discussions on how to best raid the Blood Soul Guild after Maya shared even more information. But soon, Kara had headed back upstairs once more by Rainer's side.

”Do you know when he'll wake up?”

”Nope.”

Kara sighed as she leaned into the smaller fairy's side. Bored and worried, she opted to blow a bit of air into Luna's pointed and elongated ears, getting a small giggle from the Fairy. She turned to look at Kara and found her lips stolen.

As if sensing the event that occurred above him, Rainer chose this moment to wake up. With his head still pounding, he still managed to appreciate the situation happening just above his head properly.

”I should suffer catastrophic brain damage more often,” He joked.

Kara pulled back before realizing his tone was far more joking than reprimanding. Part of her even wondered why she felt guilty being caught after what had happened after the festival and every night after.

”Don't think you'll get out of this one with a simple explanation,” She said pointedly. Seeing how Rainer dealt with the vile pressure, it meant he was familiar with it in some way. After all, no matter how much she enjoyed Rainer's power she knew how huge the gap was between the interloper and her [Archon]. And yet he had removed the being of pure darkness and death with a single use of his own power.

Rainer grew a bit sheepish. He had kept his theories on Divine interference, along with what happened after retrieving the Mana-Well a secret. Kara had proven prone to worrying, and he saw no reason to increase that.

He guessed it wasn't fair to make that decision for her, especially as she now asked him directly. And so, he told the story. From the ring he created, which could only help gain a resistance that wasn't physical, mental, or magical.

How he fought against the massive power to retrieve not only Gunthar but finally the Mana-Well.

How slaying Yulia proved to increase his so-called Defiance further.

And then the final act. One he didn't fully understand but had a good guess for. After all, he effectively raised the dead in the form of true resurrection.

”She…died?” Kara asked in confusion. The party wasn't currently sharing experience which meant she lacked the same experience gained and subsequently redacted message.

”Completely. Even if I healed her body to perfection, it would have been nothing more than a doll at that point. I needed to connect the Soul, and subsequently her Life energy back to the body. And just before I had finished and reset the connection, the Divine being acted. But unable to see me, its action was indirect. But still… it took a lot out of me to complete the spell.”

”Oh… Rainer revived her?” Luna added, quite happy at her chosen mate's increasing power. Her unwavering faith in him had been quite the relaxing prospect after a life lived in alternating fear and fake happiness. And his increases in power only served this trend further.

”Yeah,” Rainer added, feeling himself getting sleepy again. Though this time, he fully intended on remaining conscious in [Sleep Learning]. Just like his interactions with the Divine in the past, this one had left an unintended gift. And he was most looking forward to taking advantage of it.

Starting with the overcoat, followed by the power consumed from the World Tree's roots for Jor's powerful growth, and now finally a perfect representation of a presence. One he could fully apply to his own [Arcane Presence] for improvement and take the concept even further.

Kara sighed, before brushing her hand in his hair. It was hard to take in what he had been resisting. Even worse, she knew Rainer would force his way to heal Quera's mother like this. No matter what anyone else said. Laneth was a perfect example of how indebted Rainer could feel to people who helped him, even if indirectly or unintentionally.

”Go back to sleep then. We'll talk more once you've fully rested.”

In the white void of [Sleep Learning], an uproarious laughter echoed out. And when his breath finally left him, Rainer plopped backward onto the ground, a smile on his face.

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Brushing a hand through his hair to remove it from his eyes, Rainer uttered out his sincerest gratitude.

”To think you Divine would grant me yet another gift…”

The first Divinity he encountered not only gave him his incredibly strong overcoat but facilitated his learning of [Divine Resistance]. After all, its only goal was to teleport, not kill, making it quite safe to resist. Had he tried the same thing with his most recent encounter, Rainer imagined only death awaited.

The second, in the form of the World Tree, had empowered both his title and Jor to new heights.

And the most recent third...the third paved the way for what might end up as his strongest magic yet.

Rainer had allowed himself to become unconscious the moment he saw the experience gained from killing Sasha redacted. And in that final moment between awareness and sleep, he had commanded his auto-piloted [Sleep Learning] to complete a very important task.

The complete and utter memorization of the Divine presence.

From every sense to every moment and feeling, the brief glimpse of that Divine presence was burned into his mind over and over again.

And the simple conclusion he came to was perfection. He had realized that the actual amount of power the Divine called forth was tiny, perhaps from some sort of Avatar or clone rather than its main body. And yet, it elicited such a mighty pressure, which Rainer could only assume it was the complete mastery of some ability. A complete overwrite of the world's rules with one's own will.

It was only Rainer's own luck that whatever form it took relied entirely on Divine Sight. And so long as Rainer blocked that, he may as well have not existed.

The Divine power exerted by what Rainer now viewed as some sort of Reaper Divinity was similar to both his [Arcane Presence] as well as his Domain spells.

Rainer created a sheet of paper in front of him and hastily wrote down the formula for his [Arcane-Spatial Domain] and [Arcane Bolt Armament]. And without a moment of doubt, he purchased [Void Presence] from the skill store.

All around him the world tinted to a violet color as he absentmindedly spread out his [Arcane Presence], pushing it to the limit of what he could accomplish.

The rest of him focused on the new skill he had just gained and thoughts of his new spell. Having both this recent Divine experience and the knowledge of [Void Presence], it took only a few tries to now use [Mana Presence].

[Skill Gained: Mana Presence lvl 1/10]

The base of his planned spell was simple and yet infinitely complex; space and time. The very fabric of reality. From there it was his mastery of Arcane and Void brought on to create a space that was truly under his control. A dominion subjected purely to his will, just as the Divine had done. Each part would have to be pushed further before he could bring them together.

The first part being passive, or rather armed versions of [Arcane Presence] and [Void Presence]. In fact, he had this as the initial part in the first place because he needed it to heal Quera's mother without dealing with that Divine again. If he could use it at the same time as any other spell, its usefulness went up by an unimaginable factor.

The second part was merging these presences into the [Arcane-Spatial Domain] and possibly [Void Domain], giving him a greater control.

The third part was to use this linking to actively multiply the power of the spell through a closer connection to both the Void and the Beyond that Arcane energy was drawn from.

And finally, to bring them together. All parts of the fabric of reality under his control, and then responding to his will. Giving him the ability to easily use his numerous Void Skills and Magic in concert with Arcane, gravity and time ones.

Before this, he had only a smattering of thoughts…

But having the Divine presence as a permanent example in his mind, he was sure of his success. He already knew how to improve both his own Presence skills in preparation to make them a spell.

However, the most important thing the Divine presence provided was the idea and example which wasn't just to leverage his own personal power, but the power of the omnipresent Void and the Beyond itself. The Divine presence leveraged the power of whatever realm it appeared from, that much Rainer was sure of. So now, he planned to do the same.

And create something entirely new.

An absolute spell. Something more than just a common Domain.

An Absolute Dominion.

Finished with his musing, Rainer now opted to put his entire focus on leveling his new [Void Presence] skill and [Arcane Presence] as well.

As Rainer went back to sleep, Kara left the room, now ready to speak with Maya as she requested earlier. The Fairy was now more than happy to offer up all the information she had held back before, Kara thought as she looked at the stack of spell formulae beside Rainer's bed.

”How is he?” Maya asked as Kara entered the room. Sasha sat to the red-haired Fae's left. The fact that the two essentially reunited lovers weren't in each other's arms showed Kara a glimpse of the difference between the Fae and everyone else.

”He just needs to rest,” Kara said.

The wolfkin was surprised by the genuine smile that was on Maya's face after that. Kara realized that perhaps they all had underestimated just what curing this sickness meant for the mind magic using Fairy. Though, Kara thought, their original plan was for Rainer to heal Sasha but he ended up saving her instead.

”I suppose now is as good as time as any then. I have several things you might be interested in. The first is a stash of Yulia's she prepared as a backup plan for fleeing to the Dragon Isles. I imagined given your travel plans, you'd be interested in such a thing. The miser had numerous plans for every case, even if her mind was set to the point of insanity on gaining the Sacred Faerie Fire.”

”The Dragon Isles?” Kara asked, wondering why there of all places.

”It would be hard to reach her given the lack of Fairy Rings there, She-wolf. It would give her more than enough time to hide and prepare herself,” Gunthar answered.

”As for what else, I can help you raid the Blood Soul guild. Even if you know the location, entering…is a bit troublesome.”

In the room were Theodore, Elru, Furtak, and Amer as well. Rainer had invited them all here for the healing because he expected to be put out for quite some time. Though, Kara doubted he expected that to happen. No one did. And everyone here seemed to be apt to forget about whatever the hell that equal parts oppressive and vile existence was.

Different from Rainer with his back turned, they all saw the source of what happened.

And it disturbed them deeply.

Rainer woke up a few hours later. Luna now lay curled up on his chest.

Still elated from his recent discovery, he awoke with a grin. Both [Arcane Presence] and [Void Presence] easily reached level 9, though he guessed the final step was leveraging pressure from the Omnipresent Void and the Beyond. The previous levels were just increasing the efficiency of using his pools of energy.

Where [Arcane Presence] affected magic and could both elicit fear of the greater or protection of such, [Void Presence] seemed more apt to cause extreme distress from the simulated claustrophobia of the entire world closing in on you and consuming all that's left. He still needed to explore what else it could do.

Opting not to get up just yet, he lightly scratched Luna's scalp as he thought over his plans for the next few days.

First, but not foremost, was to arm [Arcane Presence] so that he could heal Quera without issue. From there he needed to raid the Blood Soul guild while all his companions were still together. No matter their level or skill, those with nothing to lose and knowledge of powerful sacrificial magic were never to be taken lightly. In fact, Rainer hoped a few destructive spells and liberal use of [Arcane Presence] would scare them off.

Even then, he planned on a frontal assault with no conditions for blocking retreat. He couldn't imagine any such mages caring about the deaths of their guildmates after what he witnessed Raspard do. They likely weren't the types to feel unified enough to plot revenge against an [Archon].

From there, he planned on seeing if Amer could teach him some Soul tracking magic before they left. The concept of being able to track and then Void-walk to anyone was too much to pass up. More importantly, to try and communicate over long distances. Something important given Theodore's plans to leave the party with Elru.

Rainer's musings were interrupted by a voice.

”You're awake,” Luna said simply, no real elation in her voice as she didn't doubt him being alright in the slightest.

”And so are you,” he added, before rolling over on top of her. Waking up to her and Kara kissing was still fresh on his mind.

Rested and healed, Rainer headed downstairs with Luna sleeping in his hair. He prepared himself for the eventual questions he'd face after recent events. Despite the readiness, Rainer nearly stumbled when a blue-haired little Fairy hugged him.

After a few seconds of squeezing as hard as she could muster, the fairy let go.

”Did I do it correctly?” Sasha asked.

”Do what correctly?”

”A hug. I am unfamiliar with such a thing. It seems quite silly, but Maya suggested it would be a proper way of demonstrating my gratitude. Especially since it's not something Fae often do. Did my feelings come across?” she asked with beaming eyes into the nearly foot taller Rainer.

Unsure of what was happening, Rainer at the very least didn't want to disappoint those obscenely shining blue eyes.

”They got across very well.”

”That's good then,” Sasha nodded before entering the room Rainer was just heading towards.

”Well, at least there's another of the rare few Fae I have a good opinion of… Why are all the Fae I like so strange, Luna? Does it say something about me?” He asked the sleeping Fairy in his hair, and only got a light snore in response.

Entering the room filled with various couches and sofas around a central table, Rainer sat beside Kara. He soon realized that, added on to the complete lack of conversation, everyone was staring at him.

”Yeah…?”

”Sorcerer, what was that thing?” Gunthar asked.

”Thing? You mean you could see whatever it was?” That was new. Perhaps he could get Kara to share her memories of it with him. The new spells Maya gifted certainly allowed for such a thing.

Hesitantly, most of those present nodded, though Amer did some strange wiggling with his beard tentacles. Tucking away that weird body language for later, Rainer continued.

”Well? What did it look like? I'm guessing it was behind me.”

Rainer waited for answers and was instead met with silence.

”Ah well,” Gunthar said moving a hand across the back of his skull, ”I'm not sure. It was as if it was both there and not. A presence of death and darkness of the likes I have never seen.” He turned serious, ”For a brief moment I thought I was to fall to a true death.”

”It was a Divine,” Rainer answered, only adding to the silence of the room. Completely ignoring the mood however, he continued, ”but I've already solved that problem. I just need to use my version of [Mana Presence] during the healing. Then the annoying meddling bastards who keep bothering me won't be able to see what I'm healing. Well, I don't mind if they bother me on occasion. After all, this coat and being able to see a technique like that, I'd say it was worth it.”

Most experienced with the shock of dealing with Rainer, Gunthar opted to move the conversation before anything else.

”We have begun planning our raid on the Blood Soul guild. I imagine you wish to do this with the issue of healing Akhor's resolved.”

Kara's glare at Gunthar over how easily the whole topic was brushed aside was ignored.

Maya nodded before continuing, ”The Guild itself is underground and hidden by some powerful illusion magic. Even if you know where it is, you'll just get lost walking in circles unless you are keyed in to enter. I figured I could head in first, and sabotage the magic long enough for you all to rush in.”

”I can't say that's a bad idea, but can't I just drop the illusion the same way I do to your glamours?”

Maya looked at him before opting to test it herself. She disappeared in a Glamour. Her skill in mind magic meant hers was quite stronger than average.

”Count to 30 and give it a go,” She added before silently moving elsewhere in the room. And then standing completely still, reinforced it with all her Mana and Magic. Even the powerful assassin wasn't this well-hidden. At least, while moving.

A casual [Arcane Presence] appeared across the room for only a brief moment as Maya was revealed.

Perhaps underestimating the skill's new strength, Rainer was left with the sight of both Fae's pale faces and the renewed silence that was present when he first entered the room. And having just experienced a similar pressuring force, the group was far more susceptible than usual.

And soon the stunned silence turned to glares, apart from Kara, who looked she wanted to drag him back upstairs.

”Sorry?”

”What do you mean you don't know how to track a Soul?” Amer asked, ”You have told me you knew [Soul Detection].”

”And?” Rainer questioned, not seeing the relation between the two.

After grumbling something that sounded like 'irritating [Archon],' Amer spoke again.

”The first thing I taught my students after they learned the [Devil's Soul Language] and eventually the [Faraan Runic Language] was Soul Tracking. The spell itself isn't particularly difficult, and it primes someone to later learn [Soul Detection], something all but required to make true progress with [Devil's Soul Language]. It is quite difficult to attack something you can't even tell exists.”

Rainer nodded as the Devil continued to explain the spell itself and write its formula for all the people in the room. Furtak and Theodore sought to learn this spell so that when they separated, they could call for Rainer to appear at will and communicate otherwise if needed, which was another spell of a similar variety.