With nothing to do and a few hours to kill I decided to go back to my office and give myself less work for Monday. As per usual Nightmare joins me in the office and keeps me occupied with idle chatter while I work on my paperwork.

“I noticed you didn’t mention the one free question to anyone else in the dining hall or when you were showing off your new abilities. Did you forget or is there something else holding you back? I can understand not wanting to say something about it with Celestia and Cadence there, but once we came out here I thought you’d tell Force.” Nightmare decides to ask something that I’d wager she’s been thinking about since we left the dining hall.

“I didn’t see any reason to ruin the mood. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Celestia with that kind of smile before. I didn’t say anything to Force afterwards because I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. There’s a few implications that I’ve considered from the answer the system gave me, and I don’t really see a point in involving others until I think through those implications on my own.”

“What implications?” She arches an eyebrow at me.

“Time. She specifically said I couldn’t return to those places as I knew them, right? That could mean that if I returned I’d either be so far in the past or the future that I don’t recognize either of those places. It could also mean that something happened. Something cataclysmic. Either way I’m not going to waste time on it until I can figure out what she meant when she said I’ve already found the answer.”

Standing up from my chair, I straighten up my cloak and sigh. “Anyways, it’s 1230 I’m gonna go grab a quick 4 hours of meditation before we head down to Ponyville. You joining me?”

The summoned pegasus cracks her neck before replying. “No, I think I’ll go find the Vice Captain and see what she’s up to. I’ll meet you in Luna’s room when it’s time to depart.”

While I’m walking towards my bedroom I end up lost in thought. Maybe she meant the Sending spell? If it truly is time related then perhaps it’s not that the spell was unable to make it to their dimensions, but rather it was unable to find the targets. If either of those realms were in the far future compared to when I left I think I’d still be able to contact them in the Fugue Plane. That would mean…if I were to find a way back I’d be in the far distant past compared to when I left. That all sounds very plausible. Maybe I’ll learn that Dream of the Blue Veil spell and if it works I’ll see what time period I’m in and then come back. At the rate I’m leveling up I can probably get the Boon of Immortality at some point in the next couple of years, so it’d just be a waiting game before I can meet my family again.

That spell is perfect if this theory is correct because that spell lets me bring everyone with me and then I could just cast it again to come back with all of them.

Before I know it I find myself standing in front of the bedroom door. The changeling and thestral in the Lunar Armor are standing outside the room and they both greet me as I approach.

I offer them a quick salute and a short greeting in return before opening the door. Once the door clicks closed behind me I’m greeted by the sight of my Goddess loafing in bed with her horn dimly lit. She’s no doubt patrolling the dreamscape right now. “I didn’t think you’d be back here until you returned from the Everfree. A surprise to be sure, but not an unwelcome one. How has your night been since I saw you last?”

Her eyes have stayed closed since I walked in so I decide to try a bit of trolling. “I’m not sure who you think I am, but I’m an assassin from Griffonstone! I’ve come to claim your head.”

“Ignis your very being is quite literally connected to me. I can tell it’s you without opening my eyes.”

“Fine then be that way. I guess I can cross “roleplay” off the list of things to try.” I let out a small laugh, finally breaking character. “Oh man, anyways, yeah I decided I should grab a few hours of meditation before I leave since I don’t have anything else to do. How are the dreams treating you?”

“Well let’s not be hasty. I might be open to something like that, I’m just a bit distracted right now and didn’t consider that possibility. I assumed you were just pranking me. The dreamscape has been quiet tonight, but I’m still trying to figure out why I have this sinking feeling of dread. Something terrible is going to happen Ignis, I can feel it.” Luna finally opens her eyes and looks at me. “Maybe you should reconsider going to the old castle ruins. I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Really? I can postpone the trip, it’s not like it’s super important or anything. Just a curiosity I had. Are you sure you’re not just being paranoid, though? Maybe you spent so much time suffering that now you can’t help but feel like you’re overdue for something to tear it all down.” As I psychoanalyze her I wrap my arms around her neck and pull her into my chest as I lay down.

“Perhaps. I will admit that sometimes I do find myself wondering when I’ll wake up from this dream and find myself back on the moon. I suppose there’s no harm in you exploring the old castle, you’re close enough that I can just teleport you back here should the need arise. Speaking of being on the moon, where’s your shadow at?”

“You mean Nightmare? She’s hanging out with Elytra or something. I should probably go meditate in my actual bedroom, I don’t wanna distract you from your duties.”

“No no, you might be fine. Can you meditate in this position? I can dreamwalk like this and I’ll admit I’m quite content to keep laying here in your arms.”

“Yeah I can meditate like this. I just felt a bit bad about laying here and sleeping while you work. It feels a bit inconsiderate.”

“Well as the party concerned, I declare that you leaving this bed would be the truly inconsiderate thing to do. You shall stay just like this until it’s time for you to depart for your journey.”

“As you command, Your Grace.” After a quick giggle I give her a short peck and lean back with my eyes closed.

Once it was time to go I put on the Mizzium Apparatus and casted Fly on myself. From there it was a quick 90 minute flight to Ponyville, which is where we are currently. I’m currently staring at a purple unicorn and already regretting that I agreed to let her tag along. “Twilight, I think you might be a tad over prepared. If you bring all of that gear with you you’ll slow us down for sure.”

The unicorn is wearing two sets of saddlebags and floating two more small wooden containers in the air behind her. “This is for my research! I need to be able to take sediment samples, samples of the mana in the air, and I need my archeology gear incase we find any artifacts that I need to dig up. Plus containers for said artifacts. Trust me, I went through all of this gear three times already and made sure to only bring the essentials.”

“Did you bring a meal or two? Water? I know we can just cast Create Water but it’s never a bad idea to have some on hand.”

The unicorn opens her mouth and says nothing for a brief moment. Then her eyes furrow in deep thought, and she closes her mouth before reopening it and closing it a few times. Eventually she realizes she might’ve been a bit silly and gives me a sheepish grin. “I may have forgotten an item or two?”

After managing to convince the unicorn to leave behind most of her “research” supplies we were off into the Everfree. Everything was moving along smoothly until we ran into this manticore I’m currently staring down. I pull out my Moonblade and assume my new fighting stance, but before either of us can do anything Twilight yells out.

“Wait! There’s nothing that says we have to fight the manticore! Right after we got split up in this forest on your first night here we ran into a manticore. Back then Fluttershy managed to calm it down and it ended up licking her like a big cat. She’d be devastated if we just killed the creature without even trying our other options. Seriously, violence should always be your last resort!”

“Violence is always my last resort. If violence isn’t your last resort that just means you didn’t resort to enough of it.” The unicorn gives me a deadpan stare and mean glare, and I can’t help but sigh. “Fine. I’ll try something else first.”

I lower my sword and stare directly into the manticore's eyes. After a second of focusing I stop suppressing my mana, and start to slowly walk towards it.

Intimidation Check (Advantage)

5 and 13. 13 + 2 = 15.

I notice out of the corner of my eye that even Twilight has stiffened up a bit with her pupils shrinking. The manticore doesn’t fare any better as soon as I take my third step the creature roars and sprints away in the opposite direction. Sheathing my sword and suppressing my mana I turn and look at the frozen unicorn. “There. Happy?”

“I didn’t realize you had already developed your mana to this extent… It’s only been a few months right? That level of growth in such a short time shouldn’t be possible!” As soon as the mana is suppressed she snaps out of it and goes straight into scientific mode.

“It’s a complicated explanation, Magic. Perhaps he can give you a brief rundown some other time?” Nightmare seems to want to snip this in the bud so we can move on and I’m fine with it so I don’t interject.

“Did you just refer to me by the Element of Harmony I represent? That feels weird. I don’t think I like that. Right, anyways, we’re on a time table. Sorry. That’s still really impressive, Ignis.”

“She almost never calls someone by their name. She referred to me as just “bladesinger” for a few weeks at least. You get used to it, but once she warms up to you or considers you a friend she’ll drop the formal speaking.”

“I don’t appreciate that you’re talking about me as if I’m not right here.” Luckily Nightmare has a playful tone to her voice, so I know she’s not actually offended.

“Also Twilight for what’s worth I am being mentored by Luna, Celestia, and Nightmare. I think being personally taught by three of the most powerful spellcasters in the world contributes a fair bit. Celly taught you magic as well right?”

“Mhmm. That would only matter in terms of your spellcasting ability though. The number of runes you can utilize, how many spells you know. Expanding your mana pool is almost purely self driven, and is something that just happens as you practice magic more. Oh, look! It’s the rickety bridge that Rainbow had to fix. That means we’re almost there!”

Oh so that’s why the knots in the rope on one side of the bridge are different. I was curious about that the first time I saw this old bridge. As soon as we walk up to the ruins I can feel that ominous energy again. “Alright, stay close. That energy feels even stronger now than it did then. We’re going to be going to what used to be the throne room. That was the first section I found that led anywhere, but I also didn’t get to explore much.”

Before we even step foot into the throne room I pull out my Moonblade and my new Staff. I will absolutely not get caught lackin’. Our group seems to subconsciously tighten up and move closer to each other. When we enter the ruined throne room Nightmare pauses and stares at the shattered throne on the left, she seems lost in thought.

“You good?” I give her some ear scritches to snap her out of it.

“Yes. Sorry, it’s just been a while. This is actually where our initial fight broke out. Luna snapped and the expulsion of mana as I took over is what shattered that throne. I’m so curious as to what the source of this energy is. I agree with your initial observation, this does actually feel similar to my presence when I’m in my real body. Not exactly the same, but similar. You said you encountered the wraiths down the stairs?”

“Yeah as soon as I went down the stairs I came into a corridor with suits of armor along the walls. The wraiths were inside two of the suits of armor. Let’s move in deeper.”

We slowly made our way into the interior and traversed through the long and winding corridors. Nightmare pointed out the sister's old bedroom and then she mentioned something interesting. “Whenever we move to the West the energy gets stronger, I think it must be in the library. If I recall correctly the library was at the far western end of this section.”

As soon as she finished her statement there was a horrific sound, similar to nails on a chalkboard. It’s accompanied by an eerie high pitched screech that sounds like it’s right around the corner. Instantly our group pauses and takes a few steps back.

I assumed it was another pair of wraiths, but I was not prepared at all for what rounded the corner. Their shapes are similar to a wraith, but a wraith looks like it’s made of shadows and smoke. These things look like solid blobs of pitch black ink. Instead of dull golden eyes they have bright red eyes, and their fingers are like sharp blades. The sound of nails on the chalkboard was their sharp fingers literally shredding through the stone wall as it walked.

I hear a quiet whimper behind me and looking back I can see Twilight is shaking with her ears pinned back as she slowly takes another step backwards. “Sorry Twilight, but I think violence is gonna have to be our first resort here. Nightmare do you know if the moon is still up?”

“If it’s still up it won’t be for long. Minutes at most. Why?”

I take two large strides forward as I roll and crack my shoulders. Once I’m just a couple of feet away from the monsters I activate two features in the system at the same time.

Enable Real Time Combat.

Lunar Blessing.

There’s a sound that reminds me of a jet screaming across the sky, but this noise is straight above us and rapidly getting louder. An instant later there’s a slamming noise and the ceiling vibrates a bit as dust falls down all around us. Then I’m surrounded by the Moonbeam and the Wraiths screech and recoils back a few feet. This was a good test and I’m glad it works. The Moonbeam is going through the solid ground above me, but it’s not actually creating a hole in the ceiling. It’s just phasing straight through. Now that I know it works, let's turn it off for now. I need this hallway to be a bit darker.

As soon as the Moonbeam disperses I slip into my own Shadowy Form, thanks to the Boon of the Night Spirit. First my body turns into something similar to a cloud of black smoke and as I start zipping forward I activate Merge with Shadows and go completely invisible.

The super wraiths look around in confusion and within a second I’ve maneuvered around behind both of them. I re-activate the Lunar Blessing and swing my Moonblade at the same time towards the super wraith closest to Twilight and Nightmare. Channeling a level three smite just because I’m not sure how strong this thing actually is. Based on how it freaked out when the Moonbeam came down earlier I wouldn’t be surprised if it was vulnerable to Radiant damage.

My theory seems to be somewhat correct as the entire backside of this creature gets covered in silver holy flames as the Moonbeam burns into it. Before it can even react to that the Moonblade is glowing brightly as I slice into it diagonally. The sword goes several inches into the creature's body and then the smite kicks in and the hallway is filled with a loud crack of power. The monster seems to explode as the area where the blade was buried is surrounded with a one foot wide glowing white orb that flashes and explodes.

Pulling the blade back I stare at the wound on this thing and am mildly impressed with myself. Its right arm is gone and its torso is looking like the Apple logo from where the smite just deleted part of its body. After about a tenth of a second I remember I’m in real time combat mode and start to wind up several slashes to just tear into this thing and hopefully kill it before it can attack me back.

With the elegance of a swordsman that trained for 60+ years my arm moves in a blur as the creature is assaulted with several slashes. After the final slash I go back into my Shadowy Form and zip in between the two super wraiths so that I’m back to where I was to begin with, standing between the two monsters and my two party members.

Once I re-emerge from the shadowy form I watch as the aberration I just sliced apart like butter starts to look like it’s melting and pieces of it just fall off. The outer edge of its body almost looks like it’s dripping onto the floor as it loses more and more of its shade. Assuming it's at least immobilized for now I turn my attention towards the second monster. Unfortunately it’s much quicker on the draw than its friend.

As soon as I turn to look at it I’m startled to see it already lunging at me. I raise up my sword in an attempt to block but I’m just barely too slow. “SHIELD.”

Activating my Shield in a panic I watch with an even higher spike of fear as the inky arm just goes straight through the shield. The shield doesn’t shatter, it's more like it just ignored the shield altogether. A thousand thoughts race through my mind about how I can defend against this without dodging and leaving Twilight or Nightmare vulnerable, but no solution reaches my mind fast enough.

One of my eyes closes in pain as I feel a sharp pain in my gut and a chilling coldness starts to spread from the point of impact. My confusion starts to grow when I don’t see my hit points go down even though it’s clearly impaled me. The confusion quickly morphs into a frenzied panic as I realize that the chilling cold feeling is spreading even further throughout my body.

Constitution Saving Throw

12 + 2 = 14.

Darkness starts to creep into the edge of my vision and I drop to one knee. “What the fuck is happening?!” My body won’t respond to me, but there’s no status effect message. Everything in me is screaming that this is really bad, but my hit points are still untouched.

I watch as a line is drawn through the Lunar Blessing and then another line crosses out my new subclass. Silver glowing lines start to run through the monster's body that seem to pulse and grow. It’s absorbing my divine connection?! “HELP! IT’S ABSORBING MY DIVINE ENERGY, I CAN Feel my con….connection…slipping…”

A bright purple beam crashes into the monster and it’s flung away from me, crashing into the wall a few feet away. Next I feel a pair of legs grab me and yank me backwards. Now that I’ve been pulled back I can see that Twilight is unleashing burst after burst of magic at the creature that is currently buried into the far wall. Nightmare’s mouth is moving but I can’t hear her.

I feel so weak, but the system isn’t indicating anything besides the loss of most of my paladin features.

Suddenly Twilight is launched backwards and she slides bounces across the floor before sliding to a stop next to me. She was hit by a silver beam… the wraith just fired back at her with the energy it took from me.

Mustering all of my willpower and screaming with effort I manage to rise to my feet. I grab the Staff and point the tip towards the Divine Empowered Wraith and the still melting, half dead wraith. Fuck this. “FIREBALL!”

I use the staff’s ability to cast Fireball at 7th level and my hearing finally returns to me as I hear Nightmare yelling in my ear. “You can’t use that spell here Ignis! The corridor is too narrow. You might even collapse the entire ceiling and kill us all!”

“I didn’t ask how big the corridor is. I said. I CAST FIREBALL!”

The 7th level Fireball instantly grows to its normal size and takes up the entire hallway. One second later it compresses down and launches, screaming towards the monsters. This might be really stupid but all of my instincts are telling me this thing has to die, NOW.

12d6 = 49 Fire Damage.

The spell explodes a few feet away as it crashes into the wraiths and instantly I’m blown backwards. Landing on my back I see Twilight and Nightmare also prone on the ground.

Luckily the ruins didn’t collapse and as soon as the smoke clears I can see the half dead wraith is now nothing but a puddle. The wraith that stole my power looks much worse for wear as the entire left side of its body looks like it’s starting to melt as well. Pulling myself up onto my knees I’m panting with heavy breaths as I lean against my staff and point my Moonblade at the creature.

It lets loose an ear piercing scream and then turns and bolts away from us, running away in the direction it came from.

“NO! Get back here you fucker and return what you stole!” I attempt to rise to my feet and chase after it but after only one step I stagger back down onto one knee and almost collapse.

This is bad.

Author's Note

Uh oh spaghetti o's. What is this strange creature capable of stealing divinity? Hmm... Find out next time on Dragon Ba- wait wrong show.

Just to be clear he still has his Paladin levels and his standard level 1 and level 2 paladin abilities. Right now the only thing that's been crossed out from his feature list is the Lunar Blessing and the title "The Nights' Chosen"

If anyone can guess what these wraiths and the ominous energy are related to I'll give you a cookie. You won't have to wait too long to find out though, next chapter I think most of you will figure out what's going on even if I don't specifically spell out what's going on.

Thanks for reading!