Published at 26th of February 2026 6:21 am

Chapter 338: Spiritual Infiltration

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Earlier That Day

The hole-through-worlds oozed closed, and the human was gone. Serrin was surrounded by an ethereal maze, half there, half not, formed in the rough shape of the Hive. The room Nicolai was being held in was visible, outlined, and Nicolais Soul was a dark stain within it, one that subtly twisted everything for metres around.

His mothers influence was even greater. Like a stone on a stretched piece of suspended cloth, the Hive bent around her.

Serrin turned away. He had to maintain a constant focus on his Soul, keeping it tensed like a muscle, and could afford no distractions. In this halfway place, the in-between, his Soul experienced a constant pull. If he relaxed, he would be pulled fully into the Spiritual Realm.

He activated his Wing Symbiotes and flowed through the Hive, puffing through the wispy walls. Most of his Symbiotes didnt work here. Only Symbiotes which had a spiritual nature, and which hed kept in the same Node for a long time, were functional. His Wings, and his Stinger.

Continuing his journey, his eyes were aimed downwards, peering through the Hive. He knew where Hornets and slaves moved because of the faint bulging their Souls caused on this side. They werent visible directly, but even weak world-born Souls moving around left a bit of an impression herevague, flickering lights.

Now and then, he saw something die. The Soul being overwhelmed by Aura was visible, burst into motes that faded away. At the same time, something was drawn, flashing, away. Piercing through en-route to the second Layer, a place hed never personally been.

Everything hed learned of this Realm came mostly from his own observations and experiences, filled out by the small amount hed gleaned when questioning others. Acritch had been his best source of information, but Serrin was wary of asking too much. Arcritch was friendly, but that didnt change the fact the spider was his mothers adviser. Still, hed learned some useful common knowledge.

Such as that there were six Layers, and a little about them. The First was known as the Near Layer, and it was the only one hed been to. The Second Layer was the layer of the Dead. Hed been told it was where remnants of spirits went, and that necromantic Arts and Rituals were known to interact with it. The Third Layer was called the Forest and the Fourth Layer was the City. Apparently there were shamans who used similar techniques as necromancers to interact with those two Layers, using Arts and Symbiotes to bind the things that lived there. As to the Fifth and Sixth Layers, Arcritch hadnt known.

As to the half-between, it wasnt a proper layer but more like a fuzzing of the Material. Because of that he had to pick his way with some care. Where a room was protected by Rituals or Artifacts, especially if they were spiritual in nature, the fuzzy shape of the half-seen Material sharpened and solidified. Defences that reached even here, the halfway place.

Serrin took care to go around any such he encountered, until he had made his way to Sytheras quarters.

The defences here were especially strong and dangerous looking, and he was unable to see through them. Barriers that would be difficult to overcome both here and in the Material.

But there was another option.

First he moved back and away from her rooms. For what he had in mind, it was better not to be too close to such defences.

After retreating a few corridors away, he focused on the endless draw of the Spiritual Realm. Ensuring he kept his Soul tight and strong, locked into his body, he allowed it to pull on him. As always, he experienced a wave of fear. Hed had his Soul pulled from his body once, when hed been less experienced at this, and barely escaped with his life.

But he had done this many times, now. His Soul remained tightly locked in his body, and the world poured around him like a river as he was drawn deeper.

Serrin pierced through to the first true Layer of the Spiritual Realm, the Near Layer. Everything shifted. It was like an optical illusion, something incomprehensible resolving and becoming clear. The Hives outline actually became more solid than it was in the half-between, though one wouldnt mistake it for the Material.

It was all composed of filmy, pulsing energy. Every surface bled faint spiritual emanations, like heat-shimmer on a hot day. The Hive itself could be felt as a vast, sleeping presence. Its spirit was what gave the walls their shape. He could feel its vague awareness of him, like a Toothbearer might be aware of its fleas. This wasnt a spirit like in the Material, where only living beings had spirits. Here, everything had a kind of spirit.

A world not meant for Material beings, it wasnt kind on his physical form. He was uncomfortably aware of his body, which seemed ungainly and heavy. There was a pressure behind his eyes, and he tasted blood. Unpleasant, but from what hed heard this was minor. Arcritch had said that the deeper one ventured into the Spiritual Realm in physical form, the worse these side effects got. He swallowed blood and kept his Soul tensed, peering around warily.

Emanation collectors swam in lazy schools through the tunnels, soft, translucent things that clustered wherever the emanations were thickest. They followed vague currents, feeding on the constant output of the Hives spirit and the Souls of the Material beings that lived within it.

Serrin passed through them slowly, careful not to cause a disturbance. Unusual movement would draw attention, which would draw predators. Hed appeared a few rooms away from where hed been in the halfway-place, but had quickly oriented and was now heading towards Sytheras rooms. That random movement was the reason it had been important not to cross over too close to her defences, as if hed been too close he might have been dragged through them, with unpleasant results.

It was possible to more strongly lock his position, and thus avoid the random movement, but doing so would create larger ripples here when he punched through, draw more attention. Best avoided until absolutely necessary.

The ground was choked by a kind of fungus that grew up into writhing tangles all over the walls and ceilings, pulsing faintly as it passively absorbed emanations. Serrin wasnt sure if this was all one organism or not. To him, it all looked the same, except for the fronds that sometimes bulged out of the stuff.

These reacted to his passage, folding in on themselves if he brushed too close. Serrin altered his path to avoid them, slipping through open spaces that mirrored corridors he knew in the Material.

As he continued on, a sense of being watched grew. Hed anticipated this. Even performed carefully and allowing himself to be pulled around, his emerging here caused ripples of a kind, powerful ones. He hadnt felt these ripples, because theyd spread away by the time he finished crossing over, but the things that lived here always noticed.

He squeezed between two trunks of fungus and stilled. Something was coming down the corridor. Spirit hornets, slipping between fungus strands like flying knives. They bore only a faint resemblance to his own kind, but they were nearly as dangerous as the real deal. Lean, predatory silhouettes. Emanation collectors exploded out their way and squeezed in a mass through the corridor past him, but Serrin barely noticed.

He had his eyes closed, to better focus on his Soul. He softened its edges, let its shape blur until it matched the dull background emanation of the Hive itself. Shelling worked here just as well as it did in the Material, if you were good at it. At the same time he reached out with the smallest flick of intent and sent an emanation away from himself.

The emanation, coming direct from a Material Soul, was especially rich. The spirit hornets reacted instantly.

They lunged past him, streaking towrd the spiritual flare hed sent down the corridor. They caught up to some too-slow emanation collectors and tore into them in a frenzy.

He waited a few minutes after they were out of sight, then pried himself out from between the fungus. Continuing on his way, he soon found Sytheras quarters.

Only, here they appeared quite different. There were no signs of the spiritual protections visible in the halfway place. They didnt reach far enough to have any effect here. That wasnt always the case. His mother, the Ripper, and Arcritch all had protections on their own quarters that were visible and dangerous even here, but no one else did. Serrin had made quite an exploration of the First Layerat least, the Hives portion of it.

Instead of defences, the walls of Sytheras rooms were no different than any other. Formed of filmy energy, lined by fungus.

Reaching out, he dug his taloned fingers into the stuff, and began to tear. His fingers pushed through after a little determined rippin, and then he worked to widen the hole.

He was literally tearing a hole in the spirit of the Hive, as that was the filmy energy that made the walls, but it didnt seem to mind or even really notice.

As soon as he was through the hole, he pushed back through to the halfway place. This took a moment of focus and mental effort, much more so than it had taken to come here. It was like the Spiritual Realm didnt want to let him go.

But he was used to this, too. Soon the world blurred, and he slid through to the half-between. This time he appeared in exactly the same spot. He wasnt entirely sure why, but only when going deeper did you have to worry about being shifted around. Going back took more energy and will, but was smoother.

He took a few steps, looking around Sytheras rooms. The walls were solid outlines, sharp and solid with her protections. He could make out the vague shapes of furniture and items around him.

Amongst this he saw impressions that suggested Souls. Two of them, side-by-side in a corner of the room. Not Hornets, some kind of Spirit Beast, both Tier 1. He also saw a few other disturbances suggesting Artifacts or Imbued, and there was something above the door. He was pretty sure it wasnt alive, it didnt have the energy living things did, but it did look aware. He guessed it to be a kind of Ritual, one with Imbued components.

That would be the main threat, though the Spirit Beasts werent great either. He needed a closer look.

With a mental sensation that felt quite similar to shoving yourself through a tight space, he dragged his way further out from the endless pull of the Spiritual Realm. The misty objects around him grew firmer as his Soul and body phased towards the Material.

Serrin stopped on the edge. He moved to a cornerone which didnt look to have anything important in it, then turned to face the rest of the room. Focusing on his Soul Sense, he took a moment to Shell his tendril. He camouflaged it to match how the walls of the Hive tended to look, spiritually.

Once assured the Shelling was solid, he reached out and focused on the sensation of his fingers. He told himself it was right there, convinced himself it was, his eyes unfocusing as his hands drifted. After grasping at nothing for a few seconds, he felt something. A burr in the stuff of this place. Seizing at it, more with his Soul than his fingers, he firmed it, and carefully sought to widen it. He went very slowly, tiny tugs. He had to be slow; the act would generate ripples on the other side if he was too fast, or too clumsy.

After almost a minute hed formed a tiny eyehole, into a dark place. For a moment he feared hed somehow torn a hole somewhere else, until he realised it was just that the room wasnt lit.

Pressing his eye up close, he took a look. His eyes werent great at seeing in the dark, but he could see the vague shape of the Aura. Anything containing spiritual energy or Omaso, anything importantmade an impression on it, a much clearer impression than that seen in the half-between.

In fact, the dark only made that easier. An intent moment of study later and he was able to clearly pick out the shape and makeup of the Aura in the room, see where some kind of power source was subtly altering it.

The thing on top of the door was the nexus of a Ritual array, reaching out to form a band around the top of the walls. An alarm system. The two living beings were harder to perceive, as their bodies cloaked spirits that would otherwise have shone to his eye. However, he could make out what they were inside. A large cage with its own ritual. In fact, it seemed to connect to the alarm system.

Most likely they were there to be released as necessary, keeping intruders busy while the alarm system communicated to Sythera.

He worried they might also be able to let themselves out. Probably not, but even if they were stuck in there if they were to make too much noise, that would likely draw attention from the alarm system, too. Ill need to take care of it.

There was also a place to one side where it looked like there were a few Imbued or Artifacts clumped up. But after a bit of staring he realised it was a cubby packed with arms and armour, not another alarm system.

He stepped back, allowing the hole to close.

Serrin focused on his Soul. Hed learned how to alter its outer shape when he was young, and soon gone beyond that. He called up his mental impression of Sythera, saw how she moved. More important, he saw the shape of her Soul. Gradually, he worked to shift his own to match.

When he was sure that his Soul now appeared a match for hers, he began to push through into the Material. He did this as slowly as hed opened the hole, but even so his emergence wouldnt be silent. Holes like hed made could only become so large without starting to generate tremendous ripples, one big enough for him to fit through would be impossible to conceal. Better to exit the standard way, by gradually phasing out.

He felt the moment he was on the precipice. With a push of will, he burst into the Material. Hed gone as carefully as he could but even so, ripples washed out.

The alarm reacted instantly. He could feel it gathering energy to send an alert through the Aura, and he moved quick towards it.

Normally, it would have recognised him as an intruder and triggered everything instantly. Probably a ripple-based alarm, plus releasing the Wolf Bugs. But so far as the alarm system was concerned, he was Sythera.

That kept it calm, and it defaulted to believing that some kind of spiritual anomaly had occurred, but not that there was an active intruder. Thus it continued to prepare its report, making an impression of the ripples it had sent and wrapping them in energy to send ringing through the Aura.

Nor did it react when Serrin finished his rapid crossing of the room, and his Soul Sense tendril lunged at it. After all, he was Sythera. His Soul Sense tendril wrapped it tight, and he caught then destroyed the report.

Then he told the alarm system there was no need for any reports or alarms. Heshe was Sythera, after all. Sythera didnt need to be informed of spiritual anomalies in the rooms when she was already inside of them.

Now held tight in his tendril, it didnt even react when the Wolf Bugs woke up and started snarling and growling from within their cage. Soon enough hed massaged the alarm system into a state of happy compliance. Everything was fine, and it should just stay quiet because Sythera didnt want to be bothered with any reports or alarms.

Turning away, he peered around the room. The Wolf Bugs were still growling at him but Serrin wasnt worried by them anymore. Hed found the switch that would open their cage and disabled it. Even if the alarm system wasnt convinced everything was fine, it still couldnt free them.

Sythera likely wouldve been surprised by the ease with which her alarm system had been disabled, then she wouldve becoe very angry and torn apart whichever Hornet Ritualists had put it together. But that wouldve been unfair. Even with his aptitude for spiritualism, Serrin had still had to work hard to develop these skills. There couldnt have been more than a handful of Hornets in the Hive capable of such an act, and of those few, none of them would be able to so easily pass in and out of the Spiritual Realm.

His attention turned to finding the Artifact. A bowl, Nicolai had said. He moved through the rooms, using his Soul Sense to feel his way in the dark. There were all kinds of interesting items, but he clung tight to his task. This was the first job Nicolai had entrusted him with and he was determined to do well. Not to mention he was worried by the door. His imagination kept playing a scene of it bursting open and Sythera rushing in, a part of him second guessing whether hed blocked that initial report.

He found the bowl worryingly near the Wolf Bugs cage. Their growling intensified and he heard them snapping at the bars, felt their furious eyes upon him. A quick check with Soul Sense confirmed the cage definitely couldnt be opened from within.

The bowl was on a small table, one that immediately caused him some wariness. The whole thing was Imbued. Some kind of system to detect theft? He spent a precious minute checking it over, before releasing a faint sigh. Just an array designed to gather Aura, a way to supplement the Artifact.

He seized it from the table and paused, Soul and ears pricked to an alarm. If hed gotten it wrong

But nothing happened, and he couldnt help a giddy flicking of his wings. He began the gradual process of pushing through into the half-between. A minute from now and hed be gone.

That was when a horrifying clunk sounded, and a tide of faint ripples poured in from the doorway.

The seal it formed had been broken. Someone had unlocked the door.

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