The Oracle Paths

"Tch, had I known these Aether Cores could be used so defensively, I would have made a few before finishing my fourth Ordeal." Jake exhaled with a sigh of emotion, sweeping his hand through the air to recall the tens of thousands of energy orbs drifting about.

He had assumed he'd outgrown such oversights, but yet again, he had been overly self-assured. Upon acquiring his Grade 10 Energy, crafting new Aether Cores had fallen to the bottom of his priorities. It was only now that he realized their value, regardless of a lower grade.

[It's not truly your fault.] Xi's melodic, soothing voice began to comfort him. [Aurae specifically forbade you from leeching the energy of other stars, and you're well aware how heavily regulated this practice is in the Mirror Universe. With your Grade 10 Energy, you could've easily created millions of Aether Cores, but upgrading them beyond Grade 3 would've taken an enormous amount of time, hindering your ability to accumulate Aether Points in the process. Besides, it would've affected your training and research.]

"Sigh... I know, Xi, but it's still frustrating." Jake forced a bitter smile. But soon enough, his smile turned genuine, and he erupted in boisterous laughter, "Hahaha, so that means I've legally pillaged the equivalent of a small star! At least, I've been compensated for this crappy day, although I'd rather have avoided it if it could return Lucia and the others to normal."

In the same breath as his sour laughter, he scanned the vast, partially melted Voidsteel cavity alertly and stiffened as his eyes landed on the familiar figure of a certain Oracle Guardian. Unharmed at that!

Jake's forced laughter abruptly choked in his throat, and with a glowering gaze, his voice turned icy cold as he gritted his teeth,

"Saros! Don't think you'll get off lightly just because you're an Oracle Guardian. If you don't give me a good explanation, I swear I'll make you regret it here and now."

This was not an empty threat. Recent battles had given Jake a taste of his true capabilities, and he felt confident he could give this alien, assigned to monitor and report his every move, a solid beating if he cast aside all hesitations.

This dramatic venture into the Magnetic Resonator had at least taught him one thing: The Oracle Guardians, or at least Saros, were not all they seemed.

Their gear was around Silver Grade, but basic at best, heavily reliant on the performance of its materials. It had little or no enchantments offering abilities, and Jake didn't even think the alien's attributes were significantly boosted. Their actual worth might be even less than that of some Advanced Aether Artifacts.

On the other hand, while Saros's race, the Khaanul, were bred to serve the Oracle, with adult baseline strength equivalent to an Eighth-Ordeal Evolver, it was referring to an average one.

Saros wasn't representative enough to make a final judgment on his species, but from what Jake had observed from his master Cekt's attitude toward them, most Khaanuls were probably just high-level small fries.

The fact that Jake was relatively confident he could take one of them out was already a start, even though he himself was an anomaly among anomalies. After all, we were talking about punching four Ordeals above his weight!

As for Saros himself, his face contorted several times under Jake's persistent, menacing gaze, fully aware of the human's, or rather demon's, grievances. It was not just the hostility and apparent killing intent, but the severed Voidshifter arm held in one of his hands that set him profoundly ill at ease.

When had he found time to hunt this Digestor? During the plasma storm? If that were the case, he needed to drastically reevaluate the target assigned to him.

In the end, Saros chose candor. Shrugging, he confessed, "Apologies for earlier, I panicked. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could pull through myself. My entire set of Silver Aether defensive artifacts were obliterated within seconds, and my means of survival... it was a last-ditch effort."

"And what was this... ahem... last-ditch effort, if I may ask?" Jake queried, a challenging glare still lingering as he cleared his throat.

Saros was prepared for this question, responding without flinching, "A one-time-use Phasing Scroll. All Oracle Guardians receive one complimentary scroll upon their initiation, but to procure another requires to fork out a lot of money. Most of us never manage to obtain a second. The scrolls have a price but no market, for only seasoned Aetherists, enchanters, and engravers well-versed in Space Magic and Space Aether Spells can craft them. To get one, you must journey to a high-level magical world, preferably Ephemeron on A4 of System 1, the capital and the home of the Ancient Designer, Grishaam Jakam, for your information. "Returning to the point, the Phasing Scroll allows me to shift my body onto a plane slightly parallel to reality, as if I'm on a different frequency. Once the scroll is torn, the effect lasts about ninety minutes and only works on one person. I don't mean to justify my actions, but understand that had there been another option, I would not have used it. If I endure another plasma storm like that one, I'll be left defenseless, with no other choice but to use my emergency teleporter to get as far away from here as possible. By staying here to complete my mission instead of fleeing, I've already taken an enormous risk."

"Oh? Sounds quite convenient." Jake remarked with an impassive, borderline hostile, tone. "And am I supposed to believe that you genuinely only had one and couldn't risk touching us before tearing the Phasing Scroll? Let me guess. Doing so would have unpredictably shortened the scroll's effective duration, and that was a risk you were unwilling to take? Fucking hypocrite."

Jake didn't truly mean what he said. After all, he and Saros had been strangers mere hours ago. Nonetheless, by accusing the Oracle Guardian in this manner, he hoped to guilt him enough to secure some form of compensation, or at least a few favors.

And indeed, while the Khaanul suspected Jake's scheme, he had no other choice but to bite the bait to fulfill his mission. The truth was, he wasn't supposed to let Jake die.

His mission commanded him not only to monitor Jake but to protect him, even at the cost of his own life if necessary, so long as he hadn't incontrovertibly betrayed the Mirror Universe.

Moreover, by surviving the plasma storm, Jake had proved they were at least equals. If he reported what happened, he'd likely be replaced by a stronger Oracle Guardian and severely penalized.

Meanwhile, getting dismissed for professional misconduct by the person he was supposed to oversee would leave an indelible stain on his resume.

"I apologize for abandoning you in such a cowardly manner earlier. It was disgraceful," Saros apologized, bowing 90 degrees to a taken-aback Jake. "It won't happen again."

Jake was so taken by surprise at the apology that he momentarily forgot his comeback. Instead, he absentmindedly nodded, his lips pursed and his mind already elsewhere.

Lucia's unrecognizable appearance flashed through his mind, and the creeping dread he had momentarily forgotten amid the plasma storm's danger came rushing back.

'Fuck! How could I forget that the true culprits are still alive somewhere?' He berated himself.

Casting a sidelong glance at Saros, who remained bowed, Jake's brow twitched, but he then ordered grimly,

"Apology accepted. Stand up. We still have perpetrators to eliminate and friends

to save-or avenge, as the case may be."

Saros straightened up, his alien face a blend of stern and cruel expressions, crying out for vengeance after receiving Jake's pardon.

"No need to search, I know where they are," the alien declared with confidence, causing Jake to jolt with pleasant surprise.

"For real?"

"I never jest when it involves work," Saros retorted grimly. "Not all Oracle Guardians can say the same, but since I was assigned to monitor a potential future Digestor, they provided me with the necessary equipment and Oracle Skills to cover any eventuality. While my Phasing Spell was active, I wasn't idle. I had all the time to trace and follow their signal. It was coming from somewhere directly beneath us. If we charge straight down, we're bound to encounter them sooner or later."

"Then, let's get them, shall we?" Jake chuckled ominously.

"My pleasure..."

The next second, as if their minds were one, they vanished from their location, shooting straight down like falling stars toward the newly melted floor, one hundred and fifty kilometers lower than before...