The two were comfortable saying nothing until Zac finally spoke up to lighten the mood. "Not to mention, I'm responsible, aren't I? You've inherited my penchant for causing trouble."
A gentle smile appeared on Vilari's face. "It makes life more interesting. Still, how did you manage to suddenly appear in the depths of Anima Court? It wasn't long ago the Mercurial Court gained new halos. They had something to do with you, didn't they? I could feel your presence in them."
"Oh, that. I had some help," Zac smiled. "It's a long story, but a friend brought me over. She noticed this unusual pocket of space from the outside. She's the reason I could reach you in time."
"Then I owe her a debt of gratitude," Vilari nodded.
"I just hope she'll be fine," Zac muttered, as much to himself as to Vilari.
"And why wouldn't I be fine?"
Zac's heart lurched. He swerved around, shocked to find a familiar figure on a rock nearby.
"You—what? Where did you come from? What's going on?" Zac blurted, his heart going through a confusing mix of delight, concern, and, most of all, surprise.
"I've been here as long as you have. I stayed out of sight until you dealt with that nasty guy. I didn't want to pick up some mark that could be tracked on the outside," a teddy-bear-sized Esmeralda scoffed as she jumped down from her perch. "Did you really think I'd miss all this excitement?"
"But the suppression—" Zac stuttered.
Crossing the vast stretches of land between the two outer courts had severely worsened Esmeralda's situation. By the time she connected space to the Anima Court's inner reaches, she'd actually flickered in and out of existence, repeatedly dodging the System's attempts to seize her. Zac couldn't fathom how she was back, safe and sound.
"What suppression? I'm just a little D-grade clone," Esmeralda shrugged. "My main body has already gone into hiding in the seams of the continent. I'll sneak away during the excitement when the seal disappears."
"You're a clone," Zac exhaled, the penny finally dropping.
"Did it never cross your mind that a qualified thief would have such methods?" Esmeralda said with a roll of her eyes before settling atop his head. "Just don't expect me to provide any help beyond sage advice going forward. This avatar was hastily made and does not have much strength on its own. I also had to fully sever my connection to the main body to avoid the expulsion."
"Sage advice is more than enough," Zac smiled.
"So tell me, when did you learn to draw arrays?" Esmeralda asked, looking down at Zac suspiciously. "Did you get replaced by a doppelganger when I wasn't paying attention?"
Seeing Vilari look at him curiously, Zac scratched his chin with embarrassment as he explained the situation. "You two know I'm no good with that stuff. Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you that it worked out. It's all thanks to a book I found in the Hollow Court."
Naturally, the trapping array was not something he'd invented on the spot. In fact, it was not a trapping array at all. He'd spent weeks inside Hollow Court's open library, and not every waking moment was spent studying souls or the ascent into Monarchy. Knowledge needed time to digest. During those times, he'd studied all kinds of books to broaden his knowledge.
He'd studied ancient societies and races, craftsmanship, and even a few books touching on civic management. More than once, Zac had found himself reading old tomes that covered some of the mysteries of the multiverse. Most importantly, he'd finally gotten his hands on [Ancients]. It wasn't part of the Open Library, but checking it out only cost a few dozen Longanimity.
The thesis on the mysterious existences was very much like the grand elder of the Joyful Gardens said. Most of the Ancients only had rough descriptions of appearances and signs that might point to their presence. Only a scant few were slightly more exhaustive. These were almost solely the more benign existences.
For instance, [Ancients] mentioned a presumed Innate Existence called the Reliquarian. He was generally considered a neutral existence. If you encountered him, you had a chance to be bestowed one of his relics. There were nearly a dozen verified accounts of successful encounters, though the process of acquiring a weapon was not covered. Instead, [Ancients] listed a few rules.
You couldn't speak in the Reliquarian's presence, or you would be turned into a relic yourself. In fact, making any sort of sound was subject to punishment. To be sure, [Ancients] recommended not making a sound for a full day after the Reliquarian departed. Secondly, if you faced him as a group, you had to approach him in the correct order, starting with the eldest.
For some reason, you also needed to remove any signs of the color blue. Failing to comply with this rule wasn't punished with death, but rather curses that were nearly impossible to break. There'd also been some studies on the relics themselves. They were not Spirit Tools, yet they possessed the growth potential and strength of top-tier Spirit Tools.
Most astounding, they grew on their own without the need for materials or artisans reforging them. Their downside was that there were some Karmic implications of wielding them. You would be slightly less lucky overall. Most would consider the trade worthwhile. A weapon perfectly suited to one's path and with boundless potential could more than make up for a little misfortune.
Why the Reliquarian went around giving out supreme weapons wasn't clear, but the tome assumed it was related to his cultivation. Or possibly, it was a method for the Reliquarian to hide from the Heavens. After all, to qualify to be listed in [Ancients], one had to possess a significantly higher lifespan than normal Supremacies. Only by wielding pseudo-eternity like the Primo or Sendor could one be called an Ancient.
Jalach was one of the ancients with very little information attached. However, there were accounts of him all the way back in the Era's earliest epoch. He'd destroyed at least one early civilization that preceded the Selvari Empire by billions of years. The danger he posed was much greater back in the day.
Apparently, he could inflict his joyful death on an area that rivaled a small Heavenly Territory. In return, he couldn't appear as he pleased, as he was hunted by the Heavens. [Ancients] had mentioned that Jalach hid in the festering shadows of civilization where order and justice had collapsed. Maintaining law and order was the best way of keeping him at bay.
[Ancients] also held the schematic for the formation that Zac used. At the time, Zac didn't understand the principles behind it at all. He still didn't. He only thought it looked somewhat familiar to the five lines he'd seen on the [Epiclesis Bell] back during the intersector war. [Ancients] called the array the [Five Harmonies Detachment Array].
The author had explicitly stated that it wasn't enough to survive Jalach's descent on its own. Rather, it could weaken the effect of his madness. It would buy enough time for victims to call for help, or more realistically, record a posthumous warning for the Empire. While it didn't sound very impressive, one had to remember that [Ancients] was written before the Beseechment Pavilion's showdown with Jalach.
Since the [Five Harmonies Detachment Array]could somewhat protect against a Jalach aura when he was at his full power, Zac figured it might prove very effective against a weak remnant. The result spoke for itself. Rather than dumb luck or him suddenly gaining an inexplicable affinity with formations, Zac believed it had something to do with their location.
There was something in the temple's remnant spirituality that resonated with the [Five Harmonies Detachment Array]. Perhaps a greater version had been erected inside this very temple to weaken Jalach. This made the ambient despair pour into the chains on their own to activate the array.
"Could you transcribe the book for me?" Vilari asked after hearing the explanation. "We only destroyed one part of Jalach. There's still at least one more remnant lurking outside."
"I'm afraid not. I'm barred from copying or narrating anything except a general overview," Zac shook his head. "There should be a copy of [Ancients] in Anima Court's library too. You could borrow it after we leave."
"You're staying in Anima Court?" Vilari asked.
"Not for long. I'm heading to the Left Imperial Palace," Zac said.
Returning to Hollow Court with his human body was out of the question. He'd kept a Void Vortex open as an experiment, but it collapsed the moment he sent his human body over. There simply seemed to be no way to circumvent the need for his physical body to stay in the vicinity of a vortex. Zac guessed his Void Emperor bloodline was a necessary marker that connected the Void and the physical plane.
"Before that, what are you going to do about that thing?" Esmeralda interjected, pointing to the shrine surrounded by rubble just a hundred meters away.
Zac turned to Vilari for her input. She hadn't exactly set out on her mission because she wanted to. She had been tricked into cultivating a twisted version of the Beseechment Pavilion's sutra. This had created a dead-man's switch in her soul.
"You don't have to worry about me. I've never been better," Vilari said. "The threat was a ploy all along to make me overlook the real danger. But now, not only is Whydah gone, but the [Epiclesis Bell] imparted the true sutra before disintegrating. I have already begun shoring up the weaknesses in my soul. By the time I emerge, I will not be exposed.
"Are you sure you don't need it?"
"No. If anything, I feel that carrying it on me will threaten my current state," Vilari said.
Good. Then we'll just...uh." Zac's voice trailed off as he realized he didn't have a solution.
The [Pasho'Har Bell] was a genuine A-grade treasure from the First Era. That was not something just anyone could possess. Zac suspected that even Supremacies would think twice before claiming such a hot potato, let alone a Hegemon. It was just yesterday he'd sensed the terrifying beings lurking outside the Left Imperial Expanse, and their goal was precisely these left-behind relics.
Zac wasn't willing to bet his life that not a single one of those old monsters could sense the bell on his person. Those beings could literally reach back in time to bring people back to life. Thinking that his Karma-resistant bloodline and Void abilities were impervious to their tricks would be the height of hubris.
"You could leave it here," Esmeralda offered as she glanced at the glowing nexus of Imperial Faith in the temple's center. "This space will be swallowed in a few minutes, and it'll be hidden by the memory domain again."
"I'm afraid Jalach will be able to find it first if we leave it be," Vilari said. "He knows exactly where it ended up, and he's been preparing for this moment much longer than the other parties."
"How about you just take it?" Zac offered to his mentor again.
"No way. Thieves without restraint will end up at the gallows," Esmeralda said.
"That doesn't sound like you," Zac said.
"Well, it's never too late to learn something new, is it?" Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Besides, don't underestimate the karmic impact of carrying such an item on your person. Any A-grade treasure carries immense providence. That's not something a Hegemon can withstand. It will twist your fate and turn you into a vehicle for its purposes."
Zac didn't doubt Esmeralda's words. He'd experienced the phenomenon firsthand with the remnants. They had been nowhere near as powerful as the [Pasho'Har Bell], yet they'd twisted his fate to ensure he kept running into new sets to push him toward the Atavism. Zac didn't have any use for the bell in the first place, so taking on the risk of carrying it didn't seem worth it. At the same time, he agreed with Vialri's assessment. Leaving it here was too risky.
"How about this? I'll take it away."
"You don't have to take that risk for me," Vilari quickly said.
"Didn't you just hear me? It's not safe," Esmeralda tacked on.
"It's fine. I'm already carrying one, so what's another?" Zac winked. "And don't get me wrong; I'm not planning on keeping it. I'll hide it somewhere Jalach can't get his hands on it."
"Where?" Esmeralda curiously asked.
"I'll see if I can return it to Wal'Zo."
Hiding the [Pasho'Har Bell] inside the Ultom Courts seemed to be the best option now that Vilari wasn't compelled to bring it out. No matter which force outside ended up the final victor in the battle over the Fifth Pillar, it would be a supreme faction of the multiverse. Considering Ultom's value, there might even be Thrones and Seals competing for it.
Jalach might be a terrifying being to them right now, but he was nothing before the Buddhist Sangha or top-tier Supremacies. There was no way they'd let him sneak inside their newly acquired Eternal Heritage to retrieve the bell, if that was even possible. Being invited into an Eternal Heritage and forcibly extracting its treasures were two very different things.
Zac had already learned from A'Zu how difficult it was to explore the Waking Nautilus. Not to mention, the Primo had been trying to take control over the Heart of the Empire for half an Era. Meanwhile, Ultom Courts was perhaps the oldest Eternal Heritage in existence. Wal'Zo had popped out a few times during every Era to hold his Flameseeker Trials. No one had managed to claim it for their own. Even his cooperation with the Limitless Empire was voluntary.
"That old spirit, huh?" Esmeralda slowly nodded. "It's not a bad idea. The bell belonged to his people. You might even get a reward for returning it."
"That shrine is too high-grade to put in a Spatial Ring. Would it be safe to take out the bell? I can't exactly carry around that thing on my back."
"The court enforcers would probably mark you as thieves or infiltrators if they saw you carrying that shrine," Esmeralda laughed before jumping over to the shrine. She studied it for a while before nodding. "It should be safe. The arrays seem to be for nourishment rather than sealing. So, the bell should be in an inert state inside."
Zac wasn't exactly comforted by the 'seems to' and 'should.' He didn't relish the idea of having a repeat of when the Primo's eye awakened for a brief moment. This time, he might not be so lucky as to just have his Void Realm flooded with death. To this day, he could feel it permeating his hidden space.
"Could you—" Zac asked. If someone was going to die from cracking open the shrine, better it be the clone.
"I would, but I can't," Esmeralda said as she pointed at the runes in the center. "I think a sealbearer is needed to unlock it."
"I'll do it," Vilari said.
"Don't be silly," Zac immediately said as a set of chains rushed out to wrap around the shrine.
At the same time, vines wound themselves around Vilari as Zac brought her to the opposite side of the temple. Before she could react, he pulled her out of the small space. Zac positioned the shrine to point toward the opposite direction before gingerly placing his hand against the ancient runes on the surface.
A weak ripple, and the shrine smoothly opened. There was no heaven-rending explosion, no celestial phenomena to shatter his soul. There was only an echoing silence as Zac gingerly peered inside. Placed on a mat was a small, unadorned brass bell. It was—
"Hey!"
A stinging heat on his cheek woke Zac up, yet the mysterious song that had whisked his soul lingered. He almost felt like he'd consumed another piece of his Flamebearer seal at that moment. The [Pasho'Har Bell]'s song seemed to hold the answer to everything, a reservoir of profundity without end.
Zac fought the nearly irresistible urge to listen more deeply. Like the core knowledge in Fuxi's Library, the theories trapped in prehistoric music were not something he was qualified to come in touch with. And yet, the song surged as he turned back toward the bell. It only grew louder, and Zac soon found it impossible to tune out.
"Wrap it up in that mat!" Esmeralda urged.
Zac quickly did as he was told, and the music thankfully stopped. Zac curiously studied the mat. It didn't give off any aura, but it had to be extraordinary if it could seal the treasure's emanations so perfectly. He couldn't find the answer, so he simply tied up the mat and stowed it in a compartment next to the Primo's Eye.
A warm wind came out of nowhere. It swept through the temple the moment the [Pasho'Har Bell] was retrieved, and the remnant despair dispersed as if a long obsession had been placated. As it dispersed, there was nothing to hold back the Imperial Faith. The walls started closing in, and multiple passages opened across the temple.
"Did you stand guard against Jalach all these years?" Zac sighed.
He dragged over a piece of a wall. With a few swings of [Love's Bond], it was cut into the shape of an epitaph. Zac placed it next to the deep crater left from his final attack and carved two simple lines. After some thought, he also engraved a burning chalice beneath. The space collapsed, shrouding the peak in silence. Only a tombstone bore witness to the earthshaking battle that once took place here.
'They never gave up hope or honor. Stalwart guardians, rest in peace.'