234 - The Oracle Part 2

Dewie blinked several times. “Huh?”

“I’ll explain on the way there,” Lexie told him. “But we need to leave now, before the portal closes.”

“Portal?”

“Yeah. I teleported here.” 

"How?" he whispered as he sat up.

"Well, it wasn’t easy, I can tell you that much."

First, Lexie had searched for an alternative route onto campus, one that wouldn't trigger any of the security protocols. And there were a lot of them. It had taken her nearly an hour with DECODE at the forcefield to figure them out, and there might even be more.

Through it, she managed to infiltrate the school's security system and figure out how it worked and what type of sensors it used.

The forcefield itself was sort of like a gate that scanned and kept out everyone who was not permitted to be on campus. It would only allow approved students, teachers, or visitors who had the appropriate ticket at the appropriate time.

Since Lexie had been a student, she could probably pass through, but the Eldritch part of her might make it difficult. The forcefield was especially sensitive to Eldritch energies, except those who had already been keyed in, like Jett’s Albion. One single hint of an Eldritch force infiltrating it, and it would set an alarm rattling off the entire campus. 

Yeah, Lexie certainly couldn’t risk that. Even if she reduced her Eldritch mana to as near zero as she could get, it might still set off the sensors. Not to mention, there were other sensors in places like the forest that would trigger traps and landmines. Visual sensors as well, in the statues with laser vision.

Invisible guards were placed at several points on campus.

Triggering any one of those would alert the system and launch the alarm.

The only way to take it all down was with the Headmaster’s key, which could only be activated by him using his soul signature and name.

So, the only way to truly get past that, without going through a whole lot of trouble to disable the many sensors and deadly security features, was to simply teleport into Dewie’s room. 

The first problem with that was that the campus's security system disallowed teleports similar to how Yasycht's dungeon did...it messed with the constant. It hid or artificially altered the constant of the academy and represented it as different from the rest of Earth, as though the academy was in a realm of its own, thereby making one incapable of teleporting there, except through the teleportation room that could be accessed during an emergency.

There was no way to get around it without collapsing the system, which would once more trigger the alarm.

However, she didn’t necessarily need to do all that. After all, with Yasycht, she could pretty much go anywhere she wanted.

The second problem, though, was the appearance of the teleportation. When Lexie and her crew appeared on Earth, there had been a pretty noticeable sign.

Lexie had seen it on video, that while the teleportation hadn't made a sound, it had emitted a lightning-like crack in the atmosphere that raised dust. Sure, part of the reason why it had been so dramatic was because of how many people she'd taken with her and the fact that she'd used too much mana, given it was in the middle of a crisis, and Cecilia was bleeding out.

She could mitigate the flash, but she probably couldn't eliminate it, which meant that she had to appear somewhere where there wouldn't be any monitoring with minimal security features.

She knew just the place.

She reached out internally, feeling for the dungeon. Due to the link they had, she always knew where the dungeon was and how far away it was from her.

The dungeon was still no closer to Earth than it had been before. She would need to up her mana to go there, and that would take a lot of effort.

But this was important. She didn't have time to wait and ask Vacek. He might agree with what she was doing or he might not, but if he didn't agree with her, then her warning him might actually make him up the security to keep her from getting close to Dewie at all.

She couldn't risk that.

So, she transported herself to the dungeon.

It hurt. 

The pain ripped through her veins, but Lexie bit her lip and ignored it.

She told herself it would be worth it. Apart from finally solving the problem with Dewie's powers, she had separate business with the dungeon, which was figuring out how to use it as a substitute for her internal mana. She had an idea, but it would probably take some trial and error to get the pathways exactly right.

In any case, she had to figure out the Dewie thing first.

She teleported into the dungeon heart, near the entrance, with the red sunless sky and the red dirt. The dungeon greeted Lexie with a little tickle, and Lexie noted that it felt...different. Perhaps not as chaotic, and some of the bonds it shared with other dungeons had been...blocked off? Severed?

She didn't know, but the dungeon certainly felt more settled. Lexie recalled she was supposed to help the dungeon kick the interlopers out, but maybe it had started on its own. She'd figure it out later.

She tapped into Yasycht’s essence and quickly found the image she was looking for.

The image that still had traces of her essence within.

Her lab.

Lexie didn't know how much the flash was, but she didn't hesitate once she arrived. She'd preoccupied herself with keeping the portal open and teleporting to Dewie's room.

Lexie could have just snatched Dewie out of bed and run into the dungeon with him, but she didn’t want to scare him. 

Though he did look spooked out, nevertheless.

“Your nose is bleeding,” Dewie pointed out.

Lexie wiped it and said, “It’s fine”.’

“Lexie, I can’t just leave campus,” he hissed, keeping an eye out for Jace, who was knocked out. “I’ll get in trouble.”

“Not if we hurry and get back before morning.”

He chewed his lips, doubt taking over his features. “It doesn’t matter. We have chips, remember? If we leave, it gets reported to our student and staff mentors, and I don’t want Hector to make me run an extra lap next session.”

Lexie thought about it, then reached out and held his hand. She waited for a few minutes and said, “Done."

“Done?"

“Yeah. The sensor’s disabled.”

“How?”

“I’ll explain it later. Do you trust me?"

He nodded.

"Then let's go. I can’t keep the portal open for much longer because it hurts.”

Dewie sighed. "Alright." He finally got out of bed.

Lexie teleported with him out to her lab and then took him through the portal back to the dungeon heart's purgatory zone.

When they arrived, Dewie froze. “Where are we?”

“We’re in my dungeon.”

Dewie whipped around sharply in alarm. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“You brought me to a dungeon?” Dewie’s breath was moving so fast, it felt like he would start hyperventilating. “In my pajamas?!”

“It’s okay, they look good.” 

"I don’t care if they look good. We’re going to die!”

"Don’t be so dramatic, Dewie.”

“I'm not being dramatic! How can you say that when we’re standing in a dungeon?”

“Because it’s not just a dungeon. It’s my dungeon.”

Confusion rippled his face, and some of his panic receded. “What do you mean, 'your' dungeon?"

“Basically, it’s like my…home now. My real home.” It was where she could be herself completely. “Now, come on. We’re going to see the Mountain.”

“The Mountain?"

“Yup. I'll explain everything in a second, but first I have to make sure of something. You'll wait for her for a second with Pvilycht."

He took it. "What's that?"

"Pvilycht." As Lexie said the name, the creature manifested.

Dewie screamed and jumped behind Lexie, while Pvilycht smiled.

"I've been awaiting your summons."

"You were?" Lexie thought he would be busy doing whatever it was Eldritch did with their free time. "Oh, never mind, we'll catch up later. Can you watch Dewie?"

"Dewie?"

Lexie stepped to the side, allowing Pvilycht to face the terrified Dewie.

"Hello," Dewie said, polite in spite of his fear.

"Another disciple?" Pvilycht asked.

"No. A friend." Lexie answered. "One of my best friends actually."

Dewie blushed, but Pvilycht frowned a little.

"I see." Pvilcht seemed a little disappointed, so Lexie said, "We'll catch up later. For now, just keep him safe. Nothing should attack you two here, but just in case."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Mountain." Lexie accessed Yasycht again, and within a few breaths, she was appearing in the Mountain's abode.

The Mountain looked dispassionately at her. 

"I do not have to answer your questions this time," The Mountain warned her.

"I know. I'm not here for me, I'm here for a friend."

“Two of you cannot be here at the same time; otherwise, I must kill one of you. Choose quickly.”

“It'll be just him. But I just wanted to introduce you. His ancestor was probably an Oracle, too. Or had some relationship to this Mountain.”

That seemed to get the Mountain's attention. “What is his name?”

“Dewitt Azure, but his mother’s name was Fiona Hollowsight." That last factoid had been easy enough to learn from her father. Lexie had asked him tonight, after she begged off the Firebringer dinner, stating that she was too tired from the frequent mana usage. Her father believed her and let her go to bed early, while he and Tate worked on something.

“The name does strike a bell," The Mountain said. "Does he have the gift?”

“Yes, but it’s faulty and random. He can’t control it.”

“That’s because he has not come for pilgrimage yet.” 

“Yeah, which is why I brought him.” Lexie cocked her head. “This pilgrimage...it’s not going to hurt, is it?”

“It depends.”

“That's not good enough. He’s very fragile, and he’s my friend. I don’t want him hurt.”

The Mountain assessed her words. “He will not die if that’s what you think. But he will need to pledge his fealty and his life to me. He will also need to make me a divine promise, the same way you did."

"It can't be something that endangers his life."

"It can be whatever I decide,” The mountain said.

Lexie chewed her lip. Now she was getting second thoughts about bringing Dewie here. Maybe she should just take him back and figure out how to manage his powers as is.

But she doubted that they would ever be able to make it an active skill without the Mountain's help.  

“This is all in an effort to kill Vulcan,” Lexie tried. “So, letting him join you will also benefit you in the long run. Don’t you think you should take it easy on him in that case?”

The Mountain just continued to look on impassionately. It seemed Lexie had reached the allotted number of questions it was willing to answer.

Maybe she needed to offer the Mountain something in exchange for a guarantee of Dewie's safety.

“Since I took ownership of this dungeon, Neqal and his associates are gone. I'm in charge of this dungeon now, and so perhaps, I can block Vulcan from using you." Lexie hadn't thought about it before because she didn't think it would be that simple.

And she was proven right when the Mountain shook its head.

"That will not work. This realm is not in the dungeon. It is a separate realm that Yascyht can access wherever he wants. And since Neqal still has access to Yasycht."

"He does?”

“Yes. Neqal is the one who has given Yascht the dungeon, not the other way round. This dungeon is the spawn of Yasycht, which Neqal gifted to him, but he could always access him through a ritual of worship.”

"I see. And that’s what Dewie has to do to you?"

“Something like that.”

“And you will not hurt him?”

“If I have not yet hurt the ones who hurt me, then what makes you think I will hurt this one who has done nothing to me?”

Lexie took that to be the truth. After all, even though the Mountain had extracted a promise from Lexie herself, it had been a fair deal. “I'm choosing to trust you here."

"And I'm choosing not to destroy you."

"Ha." Lexie scoffed. "You couldn't if you tried."

"Should I try?" The Mountain asked, and Lexie hesitated, then shook her head, suppressing her inner urge to rise to the challenge.

"No. I like you, it would be a shame to get rid of you."

The Mountain radiated amusement. “You should know that to become an oracle, there is a test.”

“A test?”

“Yes. If he passes, he will then choose the type of Oracle he will be. If not, then he will lose his power of sight forever.”

Lexie paused. "In which case, he'll just be a regular mage?"

"Yes."

Well, that wasn’t what she wanted.

Lexie hadn’t planned for it to be so complicated, nor had she planned for Dewie to take a test today, especially one with the stakes so high. Sure, he wasn’t going to die from losing, which was a good thing, but for him to lose his powers after they were so close to figuring it out…

Then again, Dewie had never liked having his powers before. He'd gone out of his way to suppress them even to his own detriment.

What if he decided to just do away with them? That would be terrible for Lexie and everyone else, but it might be good for him. It might make him happy, and Dewie deserved to be happy.

He deserved to be at peace and deserved to choose his own life.

Maybe this was exactly what was needed to happen. 

"It won't hurt him?" Lexie clarified.

"Not physically. And not beyond what he can handle. It will test his willingness to be a true Oracle and his inner strength to carry the burden to come. It will look deep into his heart of hearts and measure his potential. But physically, he will be untouched."

That was as good as it was going to get. "Okay. I'll see what he thinks and if he wants to do it."

The Mountain didn’t respond, and Lexie returned to Dewie, who was frozen in place while Pvilcht circled him.

"He says he won't eat me, but he's acting as if he will," Dewie said in a rushed voice.

"He won't eat you," Lexie said. "Pvilycht, back off."

"He's a strange one," Pvilycht said as he obeyed.

"Yeah, but he's our strange one," Lexie said. "Did anyone approach you?” 

He shook his head.

"Did Pvilycht hurt you?"

"I would not," Pvicycht sounded offended at the assertion. Lexie raised an eyebrow.

"I mean to say I wouldn't do it without your permission," he clarified.

"He didn't hurt me," Dewie said.

"That's good. Dewie, there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" he asked.

Lexie took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

She began with what she found out about his mother, the truth about his powers, and what he needed to do next.

She didn't leave anything out, including her own ordeal with the Mountain and how she'd met it. She also told Dewie how she'd ended up on campus and why she'd gone to the trouble of sneaking him out.

When she was done, Dewie was stunned.

“So in conclusion,” Lexie said. “It's your choice at the end of the day whether you want to go through with it or not. It's also your choice whether you want to keep having powers or not. Don’t do it for Vacek, or your parents, or even me. Do what's best for you."

"This is a lot." He looked shaken, his expression more serious than Lexie had ever seen it. “So if I go through the test, then I’ll be able to control my powers?"

“Yes. Or lose them completely. Now, of course, you already know the drawbacks to using your powers. Using it too often will shorten your lifespan. I'm working to figure out a way around that, but I don't have it yet. There's also the tough thing about being able to see the future all the time. It can mess with your head." Lexie thought about it. "As a matter of fact, you’d probably be better off not using your powers at all. The more I think about it, the more I think...actually, it doesn't matter what I think. Just...if you don’t want to, you can just fail the test, and you’ll be a normal mage.”

“Normal,” he murmured, looking down at his hands. ”I wonder what that’s like.”

“You might not have to wonder for long."

He laced his fingers, and Lexie gave him space, so he could think. She fused her lips so she wouldn't give him more of an opinion that would drive him one way or another. She didn't want her eagerness to sway him, but she didn't want her concern over his life to do so either.

“You said my mother was an Oracle?” Dewie asked.

"Yes."

“My dad never mentioned it.”

Lexie wasn't a fan of Dewie's father, but she figured she should be charitable for Dewie's sake. "He might have had valid reasons not to."

Dewie chewed on it, and Lexie suppressed her impatience.

"I'll do the test," he finally said.

"Are you sure?" Lexie asked. "You can think it over, and I'll bring you back some other time."

"No. I'm sure." Determination shone in his eyes.

"Okay." Lexie didn't ask him what answer he picked. "I'll take you to her. Or it. She’s a little creepy, but remind her that if it happens to you, if she goes back on our deal, I will kill her.”

Dewie smiled. "Thanks."

"I'm serious."

"I know," he said.

After Lexie teleported him to The Mountain, she felt something skittering around the body.

It took her a second to understand that it was nerves. She was nervous, not for herself but for Dewie. She was worried about him. She wanted to go in there, but she didn’t want to accidentally ruin his test. 

She felt like she'd made a mistake, though, that she'd pushed him into making the decision. She didn't want that.

She wanted to take it back.

What if Dewie became an Oracle and was miserable because of it? He was so young. She shouldn't have let him decide.

No. The test would make sure he had the true willingness for it. That was what the Mountain had said. If he didn't, he would simply fail.

He'll be fine, Lexie told herself, squeezing her hands and wishing she had some kind of stressball with her. And if he's not...there'll be hell to pay.

"I have not seen you like this before, Master," Pvilycht said.

"Yeah, I think it's a consequence of becoming more human now." To distract herself, she started to talk to Pvilyht. "What have you been up to while I've been gone?"

"Nothing."

Lexie paused. "Nothing?"

Pvilycht nodded.

"I mean, what do you typically do?"

Her shrugged. "A lot of things, but I've had little motivation for that."

"That can't be good."

He shrugged again.

Great, one more thing that she needed to figure out–why her disciple didn't have the motivation to do anything but wait for her to call.

Another thing to add to her ever-lengthening to-do list.

"I have an idea," she told him. "To make cards that do not need any internal mana. I might need your help with it."

He brightened up. "Of course."

*** "My father told me that earlier that Naem helped him make one such card. But it's a relatively weak card and it draws from a pocket dimension that they both created which acts as an external mana well."

Pvilycht thought about it. "The pocket dimension is likely more than that."

"Yeah I figured. It also provides the internal mana source right?"

"Right. But it's essentially a piece of Naem that exists apart from him, and when activated it creating the necessary mana and pathways."***

Just like Lexie had a piece of Naem inside her too. But she couldn't use that piece too much since it was harming her. She needed to find something else. "The idea is to use another mana source to substitute for the internal mana. It has to be something living, so the pathways register as malleable, something with its own set of pathways to mirror human pathways as closely as possible. But ultimately it has to be something that can be controlled."

"Living cards," Pvilycht said. "That is an interesting idea."

"I figured I could use Eldritch for that, but Eldritch are too...."

"Evil?"

"Complicated. So I thought...dungeon. Dungeon hearts to be specific."

"Hmm. You understand the repercussions of what you're talking about?"

"Not entirely."

"If you're planning to do what it sound like you're planning to do, then you must know the cards would be...alive," Pvilycht said. "They would not be inanimate. They would be like tiny Eldritch creatures that would form bonds with their owners. They might bring more chaos than you bargain for."

Lexie figured. "Well, that's where the experimental phase comes in, isn't it?"

Before Pvilycht could say answer, the air rippled, and Dewie reappeared.

Lexie bolted to her feet. "What happened? Are you done?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"That fast?"

"Yeah." Dewie smiled, seeming lighter than he was before. "It's gone. I don't see everything anymore."

"Oh." Lexie was a little disappointed, but she controlled it and smiled instead. "That's good. I'm glad that you're–"

"I still have the powers, though," he continued. "I can just turn it off now. The Mountain showed me how."

"She did?"

"Yup. And I know how to translate my visions too. It's long but I can do it."

"Great!" Elation filled Lexie. "I'm glad. Now, let me get you back to campus. You can tell me everything later."

"Okay."

"Catch up later, Pvilycht," Lexie called out to a disappointed Pvilycht as they left.

She was so satisfied already thinking about the card she would make linking her to Dewie, and how she would use that to hunt down Vulcan...

But when they showed up back in Lexie's lab, they weren't alone.

Dewie screamed again and Lexie jumped into alert.

Vacek, Aiden, the Headmaster, and Stein were there. Along with a few other people.

Her dad, in particular, looked very disappointed.

Lexie sighed. "Uh oh."