The other Luminvar nearby didn't interfere. Most of them were tense. A few kept working, heads down. But one of the older ones quietly stepped between them, trying to defuse things.
That's when the elf raised his hand again. A sudden shimmer of energy gathered in his palm, more warning than attack.
Before it could go further, Ian stepped forward.
A panel of Obryx shield snapped into place with a soft hum, perfectly flat and solid, between the elf and the workers. The elf's hand paused just short of touching it. He looked at the shield. Then at Ian.
"And who do you think you are, interfering here?" His voice dropped low, sharp. His eyes flicked between Ian and the glowing shield.
He turned to Wiokz with a thin, knowing smile, not warm, but cold."So, you've been making friends. Did you really think that would change anything?"
"I suppose it was only a matter of time before you started acting bigger than your place. All this... exposure. Must feel like a step up."
His gaze snapped back to Ian "For a human, you should know better than to get involved with their kind."
Ian didn't respond just stared at him in a quite silence.
Another elf, who was standing behind him leaned in and whispered something to the younger one. The words were too soft to hear, but whatever it was, it made the younger elf pause. He stared at Ian again, longer this time.
Then he stepped back. Leaving a lingering glare. "Next time," he said, turning away. He and the others walked off.
The tension broke slightly. One of the Luminvar exhaled. "Thank you," they said quietly.
Wiokz sighed. "I am sorry for getting you involved in this. You should be careful. He holds a grudge like no one else."
Ian glanced at him. "Who is he?"
"He is Vaelsh Elreth, you can consider him as a successor of the Elreth merchant house," Wiokz explained. "Officially, they're our trade collaborators. But they do more than trading. They manage security, distribution, logistics. For years now, the Luminvar have relied on them to deal with all outside buyers."
Ian asked, "Why not change collaborators?"
Wiokz shook his head. "It's not that simple. It's about more than business, it's about protection. They control storage depots and have the muscle and connections we lack. More importantly, they hold significant influence within the ruling councils of Idilia, shaping government decisions. Most of the time, it works well. Master Elara herself is from the Elreth house, and Vaelsh is her nephew..."
Ian nodded slightly, but didn't speak. There was no clear solution to offer. This wasn't about Vaelsh alone. If not him, there would be someone else just like him tomorrow. It had been this way for a long time.
They wandered a little longer through the outskirts of the plantation. After a while, they turned back toward Wiokz's home.
Halfway there, an elven man intercepted them , the same one Ian had noticed earlier standing beside Vaelsh. He looked at Ian directly.
He stopped in front of them, respectful but formal. "Sire Vaelsh wishes to speak with you," he said to Ian. "He asked me to invite you personally. It's just a conversation, in good faith."
Wiokz stiffened slightly beside him but stayed quiet.
Ian gave it a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
He didn't expect trouble, not for this small thing and not from someone tied to Master Elara. If Vaelsh wanted to talk, Ian was willing to listen.
The man led him through quiet paths to a villa built against a hillside. The structure was elegant without being excessive, long curved roofs, shaded gardens, and fine detailing in the stonework. It looked more like a private retreat than a residence.
Vaelsh was already waiting at the entrance. He smiled as Ian approached, not wide, but well-practiced. "I've heard a lot about you, Ian. Rising start of the Rulmose and the Arcane Engineering sector." His tone was smooth, conversational. "I can see why people speak well of you."
Ian gave a small nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
They walked together into a side chamber lined with low seating and open windows. An attendant served water. Vaelsh sat easily, posture relaxed but exact, as if even his stillness was measured.
For a few minutes, the talk was casual, local ruins, unusual materials found in the deeper caves, strange inconsistencies in trade maps. Vaelsh spoke with ease, educated and well-read, but there was always a sense that he was weighing something underneath the words.
Eventually, he shifted gears.
"There's a site," Vaelsh said, "recently unearthed a little outside the known regions, an older ruin, older than most things we've mapped. There's arcane circuitry running through its structure. Old, complex. Your expertise could be a real asset if you're interested. I need someone like you to guide us and help in opening and giving us access."
Ian showed a hesitation for some time. Lost in thought, considering the offer, but eventually "I appreciate the offer. But I only came for a short visit. The work I needed to do here is finished, and the academy break's almost over. I'll be heading back soon."
Vaelsh's expression didn't change. "I understand. It was worth asking." He leaned back slightly. "Still, it's good to meet. Opportunities come up in unexpected ways."
Ian and Vaelsh talked about few more things, no one mentioning the topic of ruins again and finally after sometime.
Ian stood up. "Thanks for the hospitality."
"Of course," Vaelsh said, rising with him. "Safe return."
Vaelsh looked at Ian retreating back with a thoughtful look.
Ian met back with Wiokz outside the villa, and they returned toward the inner districts. The sky had dimmed slightly, the filtered sunlight cooling across the upper layers of the canopy. As they walked, Wiokz didn't ask anything at first, but Ian spoke before he could.
Ian kept walking. "He wanted me to go with him to check out some old ruin. Said I'd be helpful."
Wiokz hesitated. "You said no?"
"We have to leave soon after-all." Ian's voice was flat.
They didn't talk much the rest of the way. When they reached Wiokz's place, Ian sat down near the corner of the room.
Something about Vaelsh felt off. His face, his voice, Ian couldn't place it, but it all felt strangely familiar, and not in a nice way.
And beyond that, Ian had no plans to go digging through any ruins. Not again. Last time had been enough. The risk wasn't worth it. He'd showed hesitation just enough to not be on the opposite side of Vaelsh. But he wasn't going near whatever site that was.
Later, Ian asked Wiokz "Do you have a quiet place? Meditation chamber or something similar?"
Wiokz gave a quick nod. "Yes. Downstairs. No one will disturb you there."
Ian went to the room, small, enclosed, with solid walls that muted outside noise. He sat cross-legged in the center and took out the Umbrahang Core.
He closed his eyes. Within him, he could already sense the seed, faint, but present. It was ready. It only needed a push.
He placed the Umbrahang Core in front of him. Then he started.
First, he pushed his energy signature outward. Controlled, stable, in alignment. The core responded, faint ripples forming across its surface. Thin threads of energy began emerging from it. Slow at first, then quicker. Dozens, then more. They hovered for a moment, then moved toward him.
They hovered for a moment, then moved toward him.
As the first threads touched his skin, a low pulse ran through his body, not painful, just sharp and focused. His breath slowed. He concentrated fully on the seed. No distractions.
The threads began merging into him, one after the other. They moved under the skin, spreading in, embedding themselves into his system. It felt like pressure building inside his spine and chest, not violent, but constant.
Then the seed started reacting.
The internal spiral shifted slightly. The outer shell thinned. A clear response. He guided more of the incoming energy toward it, letting it flow through the growing network of threads. More life force poured in, heavy, concentrated, flowing straight into the seed's structure.
Root like structures emerged from the seed extending outward. The germination had succeeded.
Now came the hard part, the seed started adapting the body to make the host suitable for itself.
His body reacted. The muscles responded almost immediately, contracting and restructuring. They grew denser, more compact, with minor tremors as old fibers were broken down and reinforced. It wasn't strength being added, it was control and endurance being rebuilt from the inside out.
His bones followed. The marrow inside began to shift, gradually compressing and reinforcing the structure. The joints realigned subtly, improving balance and range of motion. Pressure built around his spine, but held, recalibrated instead of fractured.
His skin toughened in places and thinned in others, not randomly, but with purpose. Flexibility increased along the joints, while critical surfaces thickened for durability. It wasn't armor, but it was close.
The nervous system had already been refined during his entry into the Architect Path, so there was little shift in mental clarity. But now, a wave of limb-level precision surged through him, his motor control tightening, synchronizing better with his neural outputs. Movements felt cleaner, more efficient.
More importantly, parallel thought processes began forming, discrete, branching lines of awareness starting to operate in the background. Each one light, silent, but capable of handling tasks without disturbing the core mind.
Finally after around an hour the changes came to stop. That was it.
The First Order of the Eldritch Path was complete.
Ian exhaled. He could feel it, the dense vitality anchored deep inside him. Even if a limb were cut, the seed's integration would trigger rapid regeneration.
He placed a palm to the ground. A cluster of vines pushed out from the earth beside him, then a shaft of wood followed, rising like a young tree trunk. He focused slightly, bark patterns shifted, branches bent to his intent.
His alignment had shifted towards wood-based systems due to utilization of Umbrahang Core. But that was not it, He grew a thin thread of root further out, several meters ahead. Instantly, feedback streamed into him. Soil density. Vibration. Micro temperature gradients. He shifted focus, his perception followed the root, as if his senses were transferred through it.
Furthermore, the Mindbloom-based seed enhanced the feedback loop. Each sprout or root-thread became a living sensor. Even without focus, they fed him data - pressure, motion, terrain texture. The network expanded naturally. He could feel movement through soil meters away, sense moisture gradients, and detect steps without sound.
It was near-real-time spatial mapping, and the coverage grew with every new thread. Like having dozens, hundreds, of eyes and ears, all grown into the environment.
And then came the most unique, especially thanks to Yeonelyth suggesting it.
The Umbrahang Core he used wasn't ordinary. It had been passed down across generations. Something built up inside it, a behavioral structure, a layered instinct that carried forward.
Now, as the germinated seed integrated with it, that inheritance fully activated.
From his core, multiple subconscious threads split away, clean, specialized thoughtlines. They ran parallel to his own awareness, silently managing different systems. They could autonomously perform tasks while he focused elsewhere. His main mind remained free.
Ian spent some more time getting used to the responses, testing growth control, triggering remote sense pings, feeling the lagless coordination between nodes. It was stable. Efficient. Alive.
Then he stood up and left.