Mother of Midnight

Chapter 129 – All for Nothing

As Vivienne’s gaze remained locked on the pillar, the stone beneath their feet trembled slightly. A low rumble echoed through the ruins, like the distant groan of an ancient door unlocking. Without warning, a small compartment within the pillar’s base slid open with a sharp mechanical hiss. A sleek, weathered box—crafted from some dark metal, engraved with intricate runes—emerged slowly from the recess, hovering for a moment as though suspended by invisible hands.

The box shimmered faintly, the carvings on its surface glowing in response to the energy coursing through the ruins. It hovered in the air before gently descending to the ground, landing with a soft thud, the lid facing upward.

Vivienne’s eyes flicked toward it, her tail twitching with restrained excitement. “Well, well, what do we have here?”

Rava stepped forward cautiously, her ears flicked back with unease, though her expression remained calm. “Don’t touch it just yet,” she muttered as she approached the strange box, eyeing the glowing runes that traced its surface.

“I wasn’t planning to,” Vivienne said with an amused smirk, her coils shifting slightly as she settled into place. “Not without arms at least. Go on, Rava. It’s all yours.”

Elira glanced between them nervously but stayed silent. Rava knelt beside the box, carefully inspecting the runes before placing her free hand on the lid. Nothing happened. She hesitated for a moment, then, with a slow exhale, she lifted the lid.

Inside was a single, rolled scroll bound with a simple leather cord. Rava furrowed her brow, her fingers brushing over the scroll before picking it up. “A scroll? That’s it?”

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, her tail flicking in curiosity. “That’s... disappointing. I was expecting something more dangerous—or valuable.” She slithered a little closer, her gaze fixed on the box. “Doesn’t it seem like it was meant to hold something else? Look at the way the interior’s shaped—it’s fitted for something larger.”

Rava inspected the inside of the box more closely, her fingers tracing the grooves along its sides. The compartment was deeper than it seemed, lined with strange, silvery material that shimmered faintly under the dim light of the chamber. There was a distinct impression in the center—almost like a cradle for a spherical object.

“Yeah,” Rava agreed, holding up the scroll. “This thing doesn’t match the compartment. Whatever used to be in here… it’s gone.”

Elira stepped closer, peering into the empty box. “Maybe someone got here before us and took it. Left the scroll as a warning—or a clue.”

Vivienne’s lips curled into a thoughtful smile. “Or they didn’t leave it. Maybe the box itself swapped its contents when it activated. This place reeks of ancient artifice—nothing would surprise me.”

“Let’s see what’s on this,” Rava said, untying the cord and unfurling the scroll.

Hey Rara!

If you’ve gotten this far, I assume you found the token I had made for you and took it to that absolutely delightful metalsmith.

If you’re not Rara... well, congratulations on solving my little puzzle anyway. But I’m fairly certain it’s my adorable little sister reading this right now.

So, why the letter? I’ve come across something important—potentially game-changing—for the war. I’ve been traveling through the Sovereignty’s lands for months, and things feel... off. Nothing I can confirm yet, but somehow, they’ve figured out how to create aetherbeasts. Not the wild, uncontrollable kind we’ve seen before—no, these are obedient. They’re weak for now, but there are a lot of them. If they crack the secret to producing stronger ones, we could be looking at a serious problem.

I’ve also noticed troop movements—too many to be a coincidence. My guess is they’re planning to strike just before winter. It doesn’t make sense; the cold hits them harder than it does us. Unless... they’ve got something new up their sleeve.

And here’s the kicker—I’ve been discovered. I’m currently being hunted by one of Praxus’ champions. Turns out he has three of them. Normally, I’d be geeking out over this revelation, but it’s hard to stay excited when you’re sprinting for your life.

The one after me is named Alisara Velthie. She’s nearly as tall as you, with golden hair and these strange, almost glowing eyes. I got an uncomfortably close look at her when she and her cohort nearly caught me. She’s a celestial exomancer, and from what I saw, a powerful one—definitely out of my league in raw strength.

Thankfully, they didn’t expect me to have so many other affinities. That’s how I managed to escape... barely.

I also got a little help along the way from some old friends! One is called Elira, and the other is Ivor. Elira’s sharp-witted, always quick with a comeback, and Ivor’s got that kind of stoic charm that makes teasing him way too fun. I had to go ahead without them, but I left another trail for them to follow/. So if you see them, tell them hi from me! They’re good people—you can trust them.

Anyway, why did I lead you into these ruins? Here’s where things get interesting. I... may have dipped into some prophecy, and it pointed straight to you. You’ve got something with you—something unusual. I don’t know what it is exactly because, strangely enough, it’s like there’s a void clinging to you. A nothingness. And that’s fascinating... and also terrifying.

Whatever that nothingness is, it’s dangerous. But if I’m right—and I usually am—it might also be the key to countering whatever Aegis is planning.

Ah, the fun part about prophecy and foresight... always vague, always leaving just enough out to keep things interesting. I don’t know all the answers, Rara. I just know that whatever’s ahead of you is going to matter. Big time. And knowing you, you’ll figure it out before I do.

I found something interesting in the ruins to the north of Thalrynn. Well north by northwest. It’s about six days from the charming coastal city. I should visit my friends there again sometime soon

Stay safe or Mother dearest will kill me if I get you maimed on one of my errands.

Love you so so so much, even if you aren’t Rara.

—Tarric

P.s: Don’t go into the main chamber, there is a giant automaton and even I don’t want to fight it. Just keep to the secret passage you went through

Rava’s eyes narrowed as she read the last line again. Her grip on the parchment tightened, and her tail twitched in irritation. Slowly, she looked around at the others, who were still catching their breath after the brutal fight with the sentinel. Sparks fizzled from shattered bits of the automaton strewn across the stone floor, its towering frame reduced to smoldering scrap.

Vivienne leaned casually against a broken piece of the automaton’s arm, wiping dust off her claws. “So, darling, what’s our dear Tarric got to say? Bet it’s something useful.”

Rava let out a long, slow exhale, forcing herself to stay calm. “He says... don’t go into the main chamber. There’s a giant automaton we should avoid.”

Vivienne blinked. “I see. And, ah, which way did we come through?”

“The main chamber,” Rava growled, voice low and dripping with frustration.

Elira snorted despite herself. “Sounds like Tarric alright. Always just a little late with the useful advice.”

“We did handle it,” Ivor said with a grunt. “Eventually.”

“Barely,” Rava muttered, glancing at the deep gashes in her armor. “We almost got ourselves flattened.”

Vivienne waved a hand dismissively, her lips curling into a playful smile. “Oh, come now. It wasn’t that

bad. We’re still standing, aren’t we?” With a casual flick of her tail, she nudged the head of the broken sentinel, sending it tumbling to the side with a metallic thud. “And look, our giant metal friend here isn’t. I’d say we came out on top.”Rava raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting toward Vivienne. “Your arm’s still missing and bleeding in your other forms, Viv. I don’t know if I’d call that ‘coming out on top.’”

Vivienne tilted her head, unbothered, and flashed Rava a mischievous grin. “Tis but a flesh wound!” she declared with a dramatic flourish, completely at ease. “I think if I find something to eat, it might fix itself. If not… well, I’m out of ideas.” She somehow gave a theatrical shrug, despite being a giant snake, as though she weren’t seriously concerned.

“I am surprised we haven’t seen any aetherbeasts in this ruin,” Ivor muttered, his eyes scanning the ruins around them, alert as always. “Something this active should have plenty of them lurking around. Usually, ruins like these attract them.”

Vivienne tilted her head thoughtfully, her tail swaying gently behind her as she studied the walls around them. “There isn’t a pull here, so I’m not surprised,” she said matter-of-factly.

Ivor furrowed his brow, glancing over at her. “A pull?” he repeated, his confusion evident. “What do you mean by that? How would you know?”

Vivienne paused, her lips curling into a slight smile as she met Ivor's curious gaze. “Because I am an aetherbeast,” she said with an air of nonchalance, as though the answer should have been obvious.

Ivor scratched the back of his head, still processing what she’d said. “Usually, aetherbeasts are wild, dangerous, and unintelligent....”

“And delicious! Don’t forget delicious,” Vivienne added with a mischievous grin. “I’m an exception, of course. Though, we did meet another exception before… I wonder if that one had anything to do with what Tarric mentioned in his note.”

Rava cleared her throat, pulling their focus back to the matter at hand. “Regardless, we should leave. We have more traveling to do.”

With little more discussion, they began their search for the passage Tarric had mentioned. It didn’t take long—after a brief sweep of the surrounding area, Ivor spotted an unassuming crack in the wall that led into a narrow, shadowy corridor. Scratched into the stone just inside the entrance was a familiar symbol, one that only Rava recognized. Tarric’s handiwork. He’d clearly left it as a guide for her.

Without hesitation, they pressed on. The passage was tight and winding, forcing Vivienne to revert to her base form to fit through the cramped space. Her crystalline horns scraped faintly against the walls as they moved, echoing in the otherwise silent tunnel. Despite the occasional protest from Vivienne’s tail when it got wedged between jagged rocks, they made steady progress.

After what felt like an eternity of twisting through the dimly lit corridor, they finally emerged from the ruins. The air outside was cold and crisp, a welcome change from the stale atmosphere of the passage. In the distance, the steppes stretched endlessly before them, its quiet serenity broken only by the occasional rustle of grass.

They made their way back to camp, the sun casting long shadows over the golden grasses of the windswept steppes. The wagon stood sturdy and solitary in the open expanse, its weathered frame creaking faintly in the evening breeze. Kivvy was at the back, crouched over a tangled mess of wires and gears, her tools scattered around her. The occasional spark flickered as she adjusted something with a small wrench.

Hearing their approach, she perked up, poking her head out with a bright grin. “Find anything interesting?”

“I wrestled a giant robot!” Vivienne announced grandly, lazily coiled on the dry grass. Her scales shimmered faintly in the waning sunlight, and her tail flicked dramatically for emphasis.

“Robot?” Kivvy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She means an automaton,” Rava clarified as she plopped down onto a flat rock by the campfire ring—empty for now. She stretched her legs out and rolled her shoulders. “Several times taller than me.”

Kivvy’s eyes widened. “Oh, neat! I wish I could’ve seen it.”

Vivienne gave her a sly grin. “It cut off my arm, and now, whenever I switch back to my humanoid form, it won’t stop bleeding.” She sounded far too amused for someone dealing with a potentially life-threatening problem.

Kivvy froze mid-motion, staring at Vivienne with a mixture of fascination and horror. “Uh, maybe I’m glad I stayed back, then.”

Vivienne huffed, flicking the tip of her tail dismissively. “Well, darlings, I’m off to hunt something. Maybe a hearty meal will fix this. If not, I suppose I’ll just stay a snake forever. How tragic.”

Rava raised an eyebrow. “Try not to pick a fight with anything larger than yourself.”

“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Vivienne said with a smirk as she began slithering off into the distance. “I’ll make sure it’s exactly my size.”

Kivvy watched her go before glancing at Rava. “Is she serious?”

“Always,” Rava muttered, rubbing her temples. “But somehow, she’s still alive, so I’ve stopped questioning it.”

Kivvy sighed, returning to her tinkering. “Figures. I can rebuild busted artifice, but bleeding snake-woman magic problems? Not my field.” She tightened a bolt with a final twist, muttering under her breath. “Would it kill her to have a normal injury for once?”