Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

Having one's fingers severed then reattached was easily one of the most physically painful things one could experience. It ranked alongside obvious extremes like childbirth and peeing out a corrupted kidney stone.

This was due in large part to the sensitivity of one's finger nerves, which, for cultivators, was further amplified as they progressed. Suffice to say that Sorin could barely pay attention to what was going on in their group treatment room as they impatiently awaited news of Elder Calvin's condition.

If Sorin was being completely honest, the in his hands much more bearable than the heart wrenching agony of knowing that Elder Nigel had died, and Elder Calvin had taken what should have been a lethal injury to save his life.

The impact of their sacrifices caused Sorin to experience feelings he'd never expected to have. Feelings of debt and obligation to his clan that somewhat countered the frustration he felt from having been betrayed by them several years prior.

Though busy, Elder Marik remained by Sorin's side and communicated in realm time using transmissions and aides that filtered in and out of the room. Judging by the reports trickling in, it was clear that Elder Marik considered the fallout from sham trial as a high priority item. He seemed palpably relieved when Elder Nolan was confirmed to be safe but in confinement, and bemused when news arrived that Daphne's latest book, Sharp Thorns & Broken Dreams, had caused quite a stir among young and middle-aged women, to the point that it had worked its way into the discourse regarding Sorin's portion of the trial.

Speaking of public discourse, it was clear from the news being transmitted that the situation outside was far from alright; chaos had broken out all across the city, and civil strife had infected in all strata of society.

The Kepler Clan had clearly been aware about the impending disaster all along and was now drawing on its many hidden allies and contingencies. Anger boiled inside Sorin as he pondered the implications of Elder Marik's behavior, but he reined in his temper lest he accidentally lose control before Physician Wendy completed her painful reattachment surgery.

Another development of note was Daphne's aura, which seemed to change in real time. Though unwounded, she was worried about her companions and constantly pestered her driver, who doubled up as her agent, to petition her family for high-level healing resources.

So engrossed she was in her communications that she only noticed the changes overcoming her when a bright silver glow erupted from her bones. Silver runes peaked through her skin atop her ruby bones, signifying that she'd successfully broken through as a two-star hero.

"And here I thought Lawrence would be first, given his daredevil persistence," said Gareth. "Are you allowed to share your secret mission now that you've fulfilled it?"

"It's related to my story of course," said Daphne with a giggle. "I was to write something that would commandeer the discourse at least 20% of the population in Delphi, with increasing rewards the more people I affected.

"It was challenging to find a topic that would work, but fortunately, Sorin's trial came up. I guessed that something fishy was going on and figured that if high-level forces were going to sabotage him, the media would likely be involved. I then piggy-backed on the media circus to generate buzz while defending Sorin in the process.

"Dead gods, I amaze myself sometime. You may all start praising me."

"There's no weird love triangle in this book again, is there?" asked Lawrence. "Because I'm fed up with the attention I keep getting."

"No, no love triangle," said Daphne. "Just good old-fashioned drama and unrequited love."

"What's your new heroic ability and empowerment, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Avery.

"The empowerment is with respect to mana stores," answered Daphne. "And my new heroic ability is called Arcane Chess Master. It's basically an extension of my previous ability and removes the cool down for sequential spells, as long as I continue using the exact same spell.

"Coupled with my soul-bound treasure, Celestial Chess Board, which allows me to maintain several dozen delayed spells at once, I dare say that I've become quite the powerhouse on the battlefield."

"That's a very powerful ability," said Stephan, who was currently covered in bandages, stitches, and scarred over flesh. "One of the best two-star abilities I've ever heard of, in fact."

"I bet my ability's going to be awesome," said Lawrence.

"I suggest you prepare for disappointment," said Gareth.

Sorin congratulated Daphne but had trouble focusing on such lighthearted matters given the pain he was in. His worry about Elder Calvin's situation was also growing by the minute, and the periodic reports informing Elder Marik of his deteriorating condition weren't helping.

Eventually, the Physician Wendy finished reattach his fingers. And to Sorin—and the physician's—surprise, the residual cracks on his bones were starting to heal over.

"It's not often that cultivators are able to regenerate even their bones," said Physician Wendy as she packed up her things. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you could regenerate anything short of brain damage."

With the worst of their injuries settled, Sorin's team members retired to their complimentary accommodations. Sorin remained with Elder Marik, who was still busy barking orders into his communication jade.

Hours passed in this fashion until finally, a tired-looking physician entered the room. "It was difficult work, but we've managed to successfully bring Elder Calvin from the brink of death. His cultivation has suffered irreparable harm, but it seems to have stabilized at ten percent sanctification. Advancement will be impossible going forward, and he'll need around a year to recover, but his life is no longer in danger."

Elder Marik let out a sigh of relief. "Your reputation isn't undeserved, Physician Avery."

"I can only take so much credit," said Physician Avery. "By all accounts, Elder Calvin should be dead. But he seems to have received a very gentle infusion of vital energy that preserved him long enough for us to attend to him."

Elder Marik's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Physician Avery. Is he well enough to receive visitors? "

"I'll be sure to inform him of your request when he awakens," said Physician Avery. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for the follow-up surgery he'll require."

Several minutes passed before Elder Marik finally spoke. "That elixir was meant to save your life, Sorin, not his. It's a precious resource that only two of the Presiding Elders are in possession of—myself and Elder Simon."

"I don't regret using it on Elder Calvin," answered Sorin. "He saved my life. I owe him this much and much more."

Elder Marik sighed. "Your father would have done the same thing as well. It's a characteristic of your Abberjay Branch, stubbornness. Right alongside an unhealthy focus on improvement."

Now that Elder Calvin's condition was stable, Sorin was finally able to address several points that were bothering him. "You used me as bait," he said to Elder Marik. "You purposefully had Elder Nolan provoke President Digory, landing him in prison. You put me, and worse, my friends, in grave danger."

"I regret nothing," said Elder Marik. "And the reason you weren't informed was because some things, once spoken, can automatically provoke a counter-response. Besides, most people can't even remember the information they are given. Such is the nature of Delphi's curse."

"Are you speaking of the periodic disasters in Delphi or general strangeness in the city? " asked Sorin.

Elder Marik let out a long sigh. "So you do know. Did your friend Astley manage to set you on the right track? Competent historians are hard to come by. I'm gratified that you managed to secure one for your team."

"And to answer your question, I'm speaking of Delphi's general situation, which corrupts the city over the long term and peaks in outbreaks that must be contained to prevent the city's destruction. Our clan has survived several of these events. Using you as bait and sending Elder Nolan to prison was the least risky option available."

Sorin's hands tightened. "Couldn't we have just ignored the Medical Association's summons if we knew the trial was a giant trap?"

Elder Marik snorted. "And then what? If we avoided the trial, the corruption in this cursed place would have thought up another way to target us.

"Would you prefer that they rile up the people to mob our Ancestral Manor? Or worse, have them destroy all our hospitals like they did 300 years prior? This is war we're talking about Sorin. Chances must be taken. Sacrifices must be made.

"In the end, even the Administrator is helpless before Delphi's curse. He can't act directly because the city can't bear his power, and if he speaks his mind to people, no one will believe him. What's more, the corruption in the city would find a way around his warnings even if he did utter them. As the most powerful individual in the city, he's actually under the most scrutiny.

"Multiple generations of the Kepler Clan and the city's other leading clans have risked their lives to develop the current coping strategy. Entire clan of strategists gave their lives in the process. Our best defense against this organized corruption is chaos. We first find an outlet to the madness, then dissipate and disperse it.

"We're not the only ones acting on this plan either. It's all part of a big play. In fact, the Administrator's Manor is already hard at work commandeering news sources and using them to ferment chaos instead of ordered strife. Your friend Daphne's methods are also helping. Her timely and targeted publication of her novel has already generated more chaos than we could ever hope for. It's not an exaggeration to say that her actions have saved hundreds of thousands of people. Her Heroic Breakthrough is well-deserved."

Sorin pondered Marik's words and attempted to draw a medical analogy. "You're treating this city like a corrupted cultivator. Violence and Madness have reached peak levels, and you're using chaotic strife as a way to dissipate the accumulation and buy yourself time."

"It won't treat the root cause," said Elder Marik. "But it will alleviate the symptoms long enough for us to dissipate the corruption at the source.

"Administrator Pollen is absent for this very reason. The third phase of the Shrine Descent was originally scheduled for four months from now, but our timetable shifted as an unprecedented amount corruption escaped from the catacombs during the second phase of the Shrine Descent. In two months, three months at most, we'll send down our heroes and God Seeds to properly seal the latent danger and buy ourselves another century."

Sorin sighed. "We're still in danger, aren't we?"

"As is everyone in this city," answered Elder Marik honestly. "What's worse, we can't leave. If we do, we'll give the corruption a chance to correct itself and change its target. Everyone would suffer as a result.

"What we can do is take measures to protect ourselves. For example, we just evacuated the staff in your manor and are relocating them here for the time being. Going forward, the Ancestral Manor will be your home."

Sorin didn't like the sound of that but given the situation in the outside world and the mounting chaos in the city, he could think of no safer place.

Elder Marik sighed as he finally put away his communication jade. "Sorin, there are things we should talk about."

"What things?" asked Sorin.

"Things concerning your parents," said Elder Marik. "Lorent and Maria. Your parents. I… I killed them."

Violence and Madness erupted and threatened to take over Sorin's body. He nearly attacked the elder on the spot but managed to control himself long enough to utter two simple words. "Explain. Now!"

"I killed your parents," repeated Elder Marik. "Or I might as well have."

"And you chose now of all times to mention this?" said Sorin, doing his best to restrain his temper.

"I wasn't originally going to say anything even if you asked," continued Elder Marik. "But recent events have forced me to reconsider. Given what's happened to Elder Calvin, one of the strongest people our clan has stationed in Delphi, I've realized that if I don't say anything now, I might never get the chance."

Judging by the lack of violent intent the elder held and the way he spoke, the situation seemed more nuanced than his initial words suggested. "What happened?" asked Sorin, feeling the Violence in his body abate slightly."

"I botched their security review," answered Elder Marik. "No, it's more accurate to say that I identified problematic members of your father's team. He'd always maintained a consistent team in his time as an adventurer. After taking a ten-year break from adventuring to raise you, he and your mother set their sights on the Infinite Dungeon in Olympia, one of the few places where your father could potentially raise his cultivation."

"His teammates weren't problematic in the same way that Mr. Holt the Underwear Thief is. By the way, good work on his part. He's also contributed greatly to the chaos in the city and taking some heat off your back. But back to your father's teammates. Most of them had done well for themselves, but two of them had somehow become indebted to organizations that don't have good relationships with our clan.

"Their habits had changed greatly. It was difficult to say if they were even the same people. I asked your father to reconsider their inclusion on the team, but in the end, he refused."

"I wager he told you he trusted his teammates unconditionally," said Sorin. "That's what I would say, at least."

"You guessed right," said Elder Marik. "Despite my warnings, he insisted there would be no issues. And trusting his judgement over mine, I cleared the two members and let him go off into the dungeon despite my suspicions.

"That was the last I ever saw of him and your mother alive. One week, we were chatting over tea. The next, they were cold corpses undergoing an autopsy after their retrieval from deep in the Infinite Dungeon.

"I was told I wasn't to blame, but in the end, I couldn't handle it. That's why I resigned from my position as Chief Security Elder in Olympia and asked for a transfer to Delphi. Although I'm not as impactful here as I was in Olympia, there are benefits to the position. For example, guarding your parents' tomb and ensuring that their rest isn't disturbed. I also had the good fortune of looking over you during your stay."

Sorin sighed as he digested the elder's tale. "It's not your fault. You didn't kill them."

"But I might as well have," said the red-eyed elder. "And nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. And though I know it will invoke your hatred and weaken my ability to protect you, I hope that the truth will help you wear away at the knot in your heart."

He then took out a jade slip. "I wasn't directly involved in the investigation, but this is the news I've gleaned concerning your parents' death and the concerned parties. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be giving this to you—but perhaps after reviewing it and pondering today's events, you'll be able to look past the troubles of the past and focus on the future.

They said nothing for several minutes until finally, the silence in the room was broken when the door slid open and revealed Physician Avery. "The patient has awakened," said the physician. "He's currently speaking to Elder Simon and has requested to see Elder Marik next, then Sorin."

"We'll follow you there," said Elder Marik. "Unless you have any other questions you'd like answered?"

Sorin shook his head. "No. Elder Clavin takes priority. Let's head over while he's still in the mood to speak."