It was the one thing he dreaded more than anything else. His heart felt like a lead weight in his chest just thinking about the meeting. But there was no other choice.

He took off into the sky, riding a flying soul mass he had recently acquired. As he reached a high enough altitude, a tremor passed through the air. He felt it in his very soul, and he froze. He paused, looking down at the battlefield far below...

And there, he saw a man.

The figure was clad in black clothing that seemed to absorb the light. He stood in the center of the destruction as if he were analyzing the aftermath of a storm. But unlike Priest, this man wasn’t looking at the catastrophe or the ruins. His eyes were focused on a specific spot of the battlefield.

Priest narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto the figure from the distance. The man seemed to feel the weight of being watched, and he looked up, and for a moment, their eyes met across the vast distance.

Who is he? Priest thought, a deep frown settling on his face.

The person was powerful. Priest could feel the density of his soul energy even from this distance. It was terrifying enough that it made him stay still where he was.

He tried to think of any Transcendent that matched that physique or that aura, but he couldn’t pinpoint a single name.

Then his mind went to a dangerous possibility. He paused, his breath catching. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The Soul Transcendent...?!

The figure below went back to what he was doing. He reached a specific spot and stretched his hand out into the empty air. He looked like he was grasping at something invisible. Slowly, the air began to coagulate. The energy in the atmosphere began to converge toward his fist until a black orb of pure soul energy formed in his palm.

Priest’s eyes vibrated. He was thoroughly shocked. That level of soul emanation was unmistakable. That was the remnant of an Archon-level Arcanist.

The urge to head down there and claim it for himself burned through him fiercely, but he suppressed it immediately. He was no fool. While he coveted a soul mass of that grade, it was suicide to fight this man for it.

Being here at all was a risk. He was looking at one of the most wanted, most dangerous individuals in the world. The fact that the figure hadn’t even bothered to attack him suggested he didn’t care about a mere observer. But if Priest were to descend and try to assert dominance, that would change in a heartbeat.

Priest swallowed his greed. He turned his soul mass in the air and fled the scene, leaving the black figure alone in the ruins. His destination was the world tear.

He was going to meet the Error Bearer, no matter how much he feared for his life.

.

.

.

Central Feraxia. In the greatest beast tamer city to ever exist...

The air was filled with the sounds of a kingdom that lived in tandem with nature’s most powerful creatures. Griffins, dragons, and avian creatures of all kinds fueled the activity of the city.

And overlooking this city from the massive castle at the center was Sunfang, one of the two Archons of Feraxia and arguably the most powerful Archon in the world. It was a title contested also by the Undying Flame of Aethelos, but in Feraxia, he was the undisputed king.

Sunfang stood on his balcony, his gaze distant. He had already received the news of the Undying Flame’s move against the Ossuary. He knew her reason for doing it, since he had also received the news of the attack on the main base of the Seneschal family here in his own kingdom too.

Apparently, the entire clan had been wiped out in a move that disregarded and defied Feraxia’s sovereignty...

Yet he had not moved.

For hours, his court had been urging him to act. His beast tamers and warriors were blood pumping with rage. They wanted to follow the example of Aethelos. But Sunfang knew something they didn’t. The Undying Flame had known exactly what she was getting into, and he knew that it was a fight that couldn’t be won with conventional might.

He knew his limits well. It wasn’t cowardice that kept him still, even if others saw it that way. He simply saw further than they could. The Ossuary was not a force to be played with.

As he was analyzing the situation, the heavy thud of boots against the stone balcony announced the arrival of a messenger from behind.

"Lord Sunfang," the man said, his voice strained and out of breath. "We have reports of movement from the Ossuary. They have begun constructing a structure right here in the heart of the central kingdom."

Sunfang didn’t turn around immediately. He kept his eyes on the horizon where a group of griffins was circling a training paddock.

"Here?" he asked quietly. "In the capital?"

"Yes, Lord. And it is not just here. Similar reports are flooding in from across the continent. They are building in the northern reaches, particularly near the frozen mountains that lead toward the world tear. They are moving with a level of organization we have never seen before..."

Sunfang finally turned, his gaze narrowing as he looked at the man. He thought about the reports he had heard. The fall of the new Soul Sanctum.

Perhaps the preparations are for this "Error Bearer" the world keeps talking about?

The location of the main Soul Sanctum is far from the world tear, but you need to pass through the frozen mountains before you get there... Sunfang surmised internally, then looked back at the messenger.

"What kind of buildings are they constructing? Are they fortresses?"

"No, Lord. They are towers... but no one knows what they are for," the messenger replied, shaking his head. "The Ossuary is killing anyone who tries to get close enough to see the work. From a distance, they look just like any other simple tower. They have no flourishes or decorations, plain and strictly functional."