[Notice]
Time is up.
Zeke opened his eyes, taking a few more gulps of the gray gas. It had been five weeks since he started using the device, and a lot of things had changed.
For one, he had reached full saturation with his Blood Affinity. He couldn't quite explain how he knew, but there was no doubt in his mind. It was similar to the feeling of no longer being hungry. His Core didn't reject Blood-attuned Mana, but it had stopped craving it.
Aside from that, the process of his weekly departure from the chamber had undergone some changes. At first, they tried releasing the gas slowly to make it easier on his body, but the results were disappointing. Instead of easing the burden, it only prolonged his suffering. It might have been a wise approach if he were in danger of dying, but Akasha had assured him that wasn't the case. In her words, she would be able to keep his body alive no matter what. Only a catastrophic failure of multiple vital organs at the same time would be able to kill him at this point.
After that, they tried other methods—leaving the chamber for an hour each day or reducing the gas concentration—but neither worked. Leaving too often broke his focus, while lowering the concentration only slowed his progress without offering any real benefits. Yet, none of these setbacks mattered to Zeke. He had accepted that side effects were part of the process and knew he wouldn't find a solution anytime soon.
The clicking and clacking from behind reminded him of his task. It was time to leave. However, unlike earlier, he didn't get up from his seated position and merely nodded once, signaling his readiness. Immediately, the crank began to turn on its own. Akasha had taken control of it.
At the same time, Zeke preemptively ejected his Soul and tightly bound his body, using his own blood as invisible chains to keep it still. He also restricted the blood flow to his brain, effectively sedating himself. They had found no real harm in this method, and it prevented him from vomiting.
A loud whoosh marked the moment the gas escaped, and Zeke's incorporeal form watched his body's condition with stoic focus. With his Blood Affinity on the verge of evolving, the task was easier than ever. About an hour later, he received the go-ahead from Akasha and returned to his body.
The sensation was far more manageable than in the past, as he had been able to reduce the side effects to a minimum. And yet, there was no smile on his face. He cast a single, longing look back to the device before trudging on to complete his duties.
His mind mechanically ran through the tasks for the day. First, he would send Frost's men out, then handle the poison tampering, review Gravitas's status report, attend to his letters, and finally retrieve Frost's men from outside. Not a single flicker of emotion could be seen on his countenance as he planned the day.
Even when he met his guards, who were already waiting, his expression remained unmoved. There was no banter, no playful ribbing, no niceties—joy seemed to have drained from the entire mine complex. The Chimeroi followed silently as he approached Frost. This time, Ash and Vulcanos joined the hunting operation while Gravitas continued to manage the fort alone. They had apparently established a rotation system, but Zeke didn't bother asking about it. He just sent out whoever he was told to and continued with his duties.
When it was time to say goodbye, Zeke sensed that Frost wanted to speak, but he was in no mood for it and simply walked away. If the commander had something important to say, he would have spoken up immediately. It was probably just something meaningless.
The rest of the day passed in a blur as Zeke rushed through his tasks. Ironically, he struggled the most with writing the weekly letter to his family. The words just wouldn't come, and even after attempting to have Akasha write it for him—only to be refused by the Spirit—he spent nearly an hour in frustration. In the end, he scribbled a brief note saying he was fine and sent it off, unable to muster more effort.
In the evening, Zeke was leaning against the wall in his office, sitting on the floor with his legs splayed out. He looked like a puppet with his strings cut, and that was pretty much how he felt, too. The moment he loosened the control over his mind, his thoughts inevitably drifted toward the Mana Purifying device.
Should he go back early?
Akasha hadn't given her approval yet, but then again, she wasn't in charge—he was. If he wanted to, he could go ahead anyway. Who would stop him?
Yet, his body didn't move.
It would be generous to attribute this to his unbending will, but if Zeke was being honest with himself, he knew that was not the case. What kept him from going was nothing other than sheer apathy. He wanted nothing more than to enter the chamber; he craved it, even. And yet, despite his deep yearning to go, he couldn't muster the energy to take even a few steps toward fulfilling his greatest desire…
Come to the Library
The voice inside Zeke's mind was different. Akasha had forgone her usual way of speaking and directly ordered him. Under normal circumstances, he would have been intrigued by the change, but the current Zeke was only annoyed.
Going somewhere? No thanks. Then again, the place she wanted him to go to was literally inside his mind, so there was no need to get up. He relaxed his thoughts and let his consciousness slip inside his [Mind's Library].
The place looked different from usual. A thick white fog obscured everything, leaving only the beautiful woman with silver hair visible. There were no traces of the clones she usually used for various tasks. Akasha stood with her arms crossed, staring at him unblinkingly.
"There is a problem" were the first words that came out of her mouth.
Zeke merely looked back at her, not saying anything.
"Host's mental state has deteriorated to dangerous levels," Akasha stated in her emotionless voice. Usually, Zeke felt that her way of speaking was too cold, but he found that he enjoyed it today.
"I'm fine," he said, equally robotic.
This time, it was Akasha's turn to stare. Her lips curled into a slight frown. "Who do you think you're talking to, Host? I can see your mental state as clearly as you can see me standing here."
No reply.
"Your cognitive decline has reached a level that we can no longer ignore."
"I'm fine," he repeated.
Akasha shook her head. "You are not fine."
Zeke sighed, a hint of annoyance flickering across his face. "…And if I'm not? What am I supposed to do?"
"We have to change the plan," Akasha said right away.
Zeke shook his head. "No."
"Host—" Akasha started, but Zeke cut her off right away. "I said no!"
Akasha fell silent, staring at him. If Zeke had been more attentive, he might have noticed the range of unfamiliar emotions in her eyes. But he was too preoccupied to see them.
"Then, you leave me no choice…" the Spirit said finally, her voice more resolute than ever.
Zeke's eyes remained apathetic. "What are you going to do? Force me? Take over my body? Go ahead and try."
Despite his clear challenge, the Spirit did nothing. There was no mental attack or attempt to take control. Instead, Akasha continued to watch him. "You have made me a promise, Ezekiel," she said. "You have promised to make me the keeper of knowledge, the guardian of history, and I will not allow you to fail until you have fulfilled that oath..."
After her ominous words, the mist around them retreated, revealing a figure Zeke hadn't expected.
"Look how much you've grown," the towering man said, his beard shaking as he chuckled.
Zeke's eyes widened involuntarily as he laid eyes upon the first person who had ever believed in his talent. Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim stood a few steps in front of him. However, Zeke soon came back to his senses and glared at Akasha. This was not Maximilian, it was merely a projection conjured from his memories. However, before he could say anything, more figures emerged from the mist.
"Brother!"
His sister, mother, and father were followed by Leo, Markus, Jettero, David, Margret, and many others—his subordinates in Tradespire, Undercity, the Nair family, and the Lion's Den. Soon, thousands of people filled the void with lively chatter. Yet, none approached. They all stood opposite him, as if an invisible wall kept them from crossing the distance.
Zeke swept his gaze across the gathering, his emotions growing complex. At the very front, he could see the people he missed the most, with his family and Maximilian first among them. He finally looked back at Akasha, a placid look on his face. "What do you think this will achieve?"
Akasha raised her hand, and the entire crowd fell silent. "Do you know how many people are here?" She asked.
Zeke shook his head.
"It's 15,216," Akasha said. "And all of them have something in common…" Zeke scrunched up his face. He had a good idea where Akasha was going with this, but he was unwilling to give voice to his suspicion. "Everyone here relies on you in some way, and most of us will suffer tremendously if you were to fall short."
Zeke frowned. "Isn't that what you're trying to get me to do—give up? What right do you have to bring up the people who depend on me?"
Akasha shook her head. "You're too close to the breaking point. Any more, and you might not recover." Zeke frowned, unwilling to accept the truth in her words. Hadn't he been doing everything right? Why waver now?
"Besides," Akasha continued. "I said we need to change the plan, not give up."
Zeke's frown deepened. "Haven't we gone over this already? We cannot afford to delay."
The Spirit looked at him for a long moment. "I want to speed up the procedure."
This time, Zeke was stumped. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't that. "How?"
Akasha didn't waste a moment. She had clearly thought this through. "I want Host to stay in the chamber until your Core has fully matured."
Zeke gaped. "Have you lost your mind?"
Akasha shook her head. "This is the best way—the only way if you are to keep your sanity."
"This is madness!" He yelled, unable to hold his voice back.
However, Akasha was unaffected. "It is far less risky than what we are doing right now."
Seeing her placid expression and confident words, he managed to calm down a little. "Tell me what you mean."
Akasha smiled, clearly pleased that he was willing to listen. "The Mana Purifying device is highly addictive, both physically and mentally." Zeke nodded, understanding the impact of the device on him. "While we've managed to stabilize your body, the same cannot be said for your mind. I've been scouring the library for a solution and concluded that we're currently doing the worst thing possible."
"The worst thing?"
"We're putting Host through withdrawal every week, only to feed the addiction again once you've recovered. This procedure is listed as a torture method in some records, and the Empire uses a similar approach to break the spirits of strong foes."
Zeke's gaze involuntarily went to Maximilian. The man looked as hearty as ever, but Zeke felt a cold shiver run down his spine thinking about what the man must have experienced during his imprisonment. What had his final moments been like?
Akasha ignored his thoughts and continued explaining her plan. "Instead, it would be far better to go through a worse withdrawal just once instead of continuously chipping away at Host's mind."
Zeke stayed silent. He was inclined to agree with the plan, but that very eagerness gave him pause. Was he enthusiastic because it was a good idea, or simply because he wanted to stay in the chamber longer? Not being able to trust his own instincts was truly frustrating.
"What about Frost's men?" he asked instead.
"I'll take care of it."
"What about the poison Treatment?"
"I'll take care of it."
"What about—"
"Ezekiel…" the Spirit cut him off, looking deep into his eyes. "I'll take care of everything."
Zeke fell silent, letting his eyes wander over the many eager faces watching him. His sisters beamed, his mother looked slightly worried, and his father wore a proud expression. With each new face, his reluctance slowly faded. Akasha was right; he had nearly lost himself in apathy. There was no way he could last the full 90 days if things continued like this.
He finally closed his eyes and nodded slowly, a forced smile on his face. "Fine, you win. But if this breaks me, I'm blaming you." As he left the [Minds Library], he could hear her last words clearly, as if she was whispering directly in his ears.
"I have faith."