Mortis, the skeletal lieutenant colonel of the Eastern Field Army with deliberate, albeit eerie, precision. His presence, though macabre, carried an unmistakable air of authority and camaraderie.
"Vaen," Mortis said, a slight rasp in his voice.
"I've got something for you. This is the thing in the army a captain rank and above have."
With no fanfare, Mortis drew out a small, elegantly carved piece of jade stone from beneath his tattered cloak.
Its exterior glowed softly with an inner light, its colors shifting deep jade and gentle undertones of silver.
"This, my friend, is the Dragon and Phoenix Jade. Make it your own portal into the Eastern Field Army's store of merit. With it, you can pass messages, chronicle your missions, and even trade rewards without having to leave the open air."
Vaen held the stone carefully, enjoying its chill in his palm. He stroked it lightly with his fingertips, feeling not only skill but a vow.
" It's an uncommon instrument for sure. Thanks for giving it to me, Mortis."
He replied in a controlled voice, his tone both thankful and amazed by the technological advancement.
Mortis's skeleton smile split with him continuing, "There is something you need to hear, Vaen."
The quiet glen held its collective breath. Vaen's sharp, even battered, mind focused on Mortis.
"Consider this as a friend giving you life saving advice. Listen though you had advanced to Early Obsidian Flow but, there is a typo. Tenebris Energy isn't just a tool for power. It's a will. The Will heard your desire and let you advance. If not it's not possible for you to advance in the rank so quickly. Listen to my advice and regress to Peak Umbral Initiate. "
Vaen's head spun at the idea. He had fought, studied nonstop, and now was being instructed to step aside—a temporary setback for long-term power. "So you're saying I should give up some of my power now, lose it and start over?" he whispered.
Mortis nodded, rattling some of the parched bones. "Exactly. It's the only way that you can ensure your Umbral Repository and Luminous Heart stabilize the more compact, higher-ranked Tenebris Energy. You must prune the tree, you see. You must cut back the ill, dying branches so that the new ones will be healthy and grow higher in the air."
There was a thoughtful silence as Vaen considered Mortis's words.
He thought about the countless hours spent absorbing energy, cultivating his Void Absorption and Shadow Veil, mastering the initial blow of his own-made Slash of Nightfall: First Slash.
The thought of regression pained him—an admission that the power he possessed now was still fragile. Yet he understood it too well: to ascend, you sometimes need to take a temporary tumble.
"Right," Vaen reluctantly agreed, his voice a mix of grudging concession and determination. "If I must step back to stabilize and refine my inner sanctums, then so be it. I must have a foundation before I can truly harness the power of Tenebris Energy."
Mortis set a skeletal hand on Vaen's shoulder.
"Good. Consider this not a loss but a sacrifice. Take back your control, cleanse the impurities, and then rebuild your energy structure. The Dragon And Phoenix Jade will come in handy during this time, enabling you to keep in touch with the Eastern Field Army and the merit shop. Only captains and above use it with ease. You will be nurturing your reserves to withstand even greater tests for the time being"
The glowing jade rested comfortably in Vaen's hand as he absorbed Mortis's words. His thoughts turned inward, weighing the harsh truth.
He had long believed amassing power was the answer; now he understood that it was also necessary to purify and balance the power.
The road ahead was fraught with peril.
"Thanks, Mortis," responded Vaen, his tone stern but with the undertone of renewed determination. "I will do as I need to do. I'm ready to prune the old and to cultivate the new."
Mortis's tone softened with a hint of strange warmth as he replied,
"That's the spirit. Remember: true strength is knowing when to let go, so that you can become stronger. Sleep now, Vaen. Only when you have the strength, people will respect you and you won't lose anything"
And with that, Mortis vanished into the void as if he were a fragment of it himself.
Vaen looked at the Dragon and Phoenix Jade held within his palm, feeling its muted pulse synchronize with his own heartbeat.
In this moment of unspoken comprehension, he felt the weight of yesterday and the potentialities of tomorrow's triumph—both no less necessary on the endless quest of power and knowledge.
Determined, Vaen rose to his feet. His path was not yet finished.
Now, with the new device and Mortis's words echoing in his mind, he would prepare himself for the next phase of his transformation.
The path called for him to first shed his current form—to retreat, recharge, and then soar to higher heights.
A temporary fall was not failure; it was the stepping stone to a higher climb.
Vaen took one last deep breath. And thought,
"I will do it,"
He breathed to the quiet darkness that surrounded him. "I will cut away the old, and rebuild my strength—stronger than ever."
And with that soft vow, Vaen Dravidian pressed on towards his fate, asleep again into the unknown.