Chapter 103 - The Barrier

Chapter 103: 103 - The Barrier

The three of them returned to the circular platform inside the largest tree in Elyndor. Adrien had used it several times by now: pale wood beneath his feet, a rail around the edge, runes cut into the boards, and enough room for several people to stand comfortably.

Every other time, the platform had carried him upward through the inside of the tree toward Vael’s residence. This time, Vael pressed a different section of the rail.

The platform went down, passing the lower floors until they reached ground level. Adrien expected it to stop there, but it simply continued.

They descended beneath the base of the tree and kept going long after Adrien had expected the mechanism to reach its limit. The light from above gradually disappeared, replaced by the faint glow of the runes beneath their feet.

Adrien looked over the edge before glancing at Vael. "I didn’t know this thing went this far down."

"Well, no one has access to this area."

The platform finally slowed and stopped inside a sealed chamber far beneath Elyndor. There was nobody waiting for them, and the room itself was functional rather than impressive, filled with the formations and structures Vael needed to maintain the barrier protecting the settlement.

Adrien could feel mana moving through almost everything around him. Vael stepped off the platform first and headed toward the center of the chamber.

"I prepared this place for when the dragon’s body eventually stopped providing enough power. The barrier works almost the same way from here. The difference is that this system consumes materials instead."

He gestured vaguely toward the Heartroot Crystals they had brought back.

"Those will keep it running. Not forever, but long enough that replacing them every so often is considerably easier than finding another dragon corpse."

Adrien looked around once more. He already knew the corpse beneath Elyndor had been part of what powered the barrier, and nobody outside the three of them needed to know that.

Vael started working with the crystals while Adrien stayed nearby with Amelia. There wasn’t much point in watching exactly what the old elf was doing, so Adrien returned to the conversation they had left unfinished upstairs.

"So, going back to what we were talking about earlier. How rare is a Unique Path?"

Vael did not stop what he was doing.

"Very. A Unique Path is rarer than an SSS talent. Considerably rarer. Even finding someone with several SSS talents would be more likely than finding someone with a true Unique Path."

That caught Adrien’s attention. Vael had lived for a very long time, so hearing that even he considered them that rare meant something.

"I’ve only personally known one person who had one," Vael continued. "And that person also possessed several SSS talents. Do you know who?"

Adrien stared at him for a moment. The way Vael had asked the question made it obvious that Adrien was supposed to have some idea.

"If I have to guess... the dragon?"

Vael finally looked at him properly.

"Correct."

Adrien’s expression changed.

"He had a Unique Path?"

"He did." Vael paused for a moment before looking at Adrien more carefully. "What is yours?"

"Absolute Magus."

Vael stopped what he was doing.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then his eyes lowered slightly, and Adrien barely heard the words he murmured to himself.

"The same, huh..."

Adrien frowned.

"What?"

Vael looked back at him.

"His Unique Path was Absolute Magus as well."

Adrien went quiet for a second.

"The exact same Path?"

"Yes." Vael studied him for another moment. "And one of his talents was Absolute Mana Sense."

Adrien’s expression changed again.

"Is that even possible?"

"Apparently." Vael returned his attention to the barrier, although his movements had slowed. "Tell me the other two."

Adrien glanced toward Amelia. She had remained quiet since they entered, listening to both of them.

"Bottomless Core and Absolute Comprehension."

Vael stopped again.

For several seconds, the old elf did absolutely nothing. Then he slowly turned his head toward Adrien.

"Say those again."

"Bottomless Core. Absolute Comprehension."

Vael stared at him.

"They’re the same."

Adrien frowned.

"All three?"

"All three."

Vael looked away again, but this time Adrien could see that the answer had genuinely affected him. For someone who usually seemed difficult to surprise, Vael was doing a poor job of hiding it now.

"When he told us you might one day awaken the Draconic Physique, that was already difficult enough to believe. But he never said you could awaken everything else he had as well."

Adrien looked down at himself for a moment as he processed that.

"So I have his heart, his Physique, his Path and all three of his talents."

"It certainly appears that way."

"That’s incredible."

Amelia had stayed silent through most of the conversation. She had seen her grandfather surprised before, but rarely like this, and there was something different about him whenever the dragon came up.

It almost felt as though Vael was speaking about an old friend. Part of it might have been Adrien himself, considering he was Alaric’s son, but the more they learned about Adrien, the more it seemed that everything unusual about him somehow connected back to the dragon as well.

Adrien eventually reached into his bag and removed the dense material they had taken from the Ancient Tree. He held it up for Vael to see.

"One more thing. Do you think I can improve Umbral Root with this?"

Vael examined the material for several seconds.

"You really don’t understand how lucky you are, do you?"

"People keep telling me that."

"With a material like that, you could probably improve the staff to S Rank at minimum."

Adrien raised his eyebrows.

"That much?"

"Ancient Tree material is extremely valuable, especially something this concentrated. The problem is that you need someone skilled enough to work with it. Giving that to an ordinary craftsman would be a waste."

Vael seemed to think for a moment before continuing. He was still occupied with the crystals, and judging by how much remained to be done, the barrier wasn’t going to be repaired quickly.

"I know someone in Sylvamir. When you travel to the elven kingdom and reach the capital, I’ll tell you where to find him. I’ll speak to him about you beforehand."

Adrien looked at him.

"You’d do that?"

Vael gave him a flat look.

"After sending the three of you into a ruin without knowing there was an Ancient Tree living at the bottom of it? It’s the least I can do. You saved Amelia and Lucien again."

Adrien smiled faintly.

"Fair enough."

There wasn’t much more Adrien could do down there, and Vael clearly needed to concentrate. He stepped back toward the platform with Amelia following him.

"Good luck with the crystals."

Vael only raised one hand without looking away.

The platform carried Adrien and Amelia back toward the upper levels of Elyndor. Once they reached the top, Amelia walked with him toward the route that would take him out of the settlement.

"I suppose this is goodbye again," Amelia said.

"For now."

"See you soon, then."

Adrien nodded, but Amelia remained where she was. She looked at him for another second, and it was obvious enough that she was expecting something more.

Adrien understood.

He leaned down and gave her a brief kiss goodbye. When he pulled away, Amelia’s expression had brightened considerably.

"Now you can go."

Adrien laughed.

"Good to know I have permission."

Adrien left Elyndor not long afterward and started the journey back toward Greymoor. He had learned considerably more than he expected from what should have been a simple trip for Heartroot Crystals.

Most of it led back to the same place.

The dragon had given him its heart.

Apparently, it had also given him almost everything else.