Primordial Ascension

Sybil: Book OnePrimordial AscensionBy Azrie DisclaimerCopyright © 2023 AzrieAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form possible without permission from the author or publisher. For permissions, contact the author or publisher through Azrie's Profile | Royal Road or https://www.patreon.com/AzrieCover Art by KaimoTypography by Azrie AcknowledgementsSybil would not have been possible without the support of my friend MelasDelta whether it was as a friend, as a mentor, or just as a role model, he was always there. Sincerely, thank you.I would also like to thank my family for supporting my writing. And lastly my friend and proofreader BlueBug for helping out from kindness. Table of ContentsDisclaimerAcknowledgementsTable of ContentsChapter. 1: Tincture of Fallen FlamesChapter. 2: AscendedChapter. 3: Grand Mine of Armag HollowChapter. 4: Prowling HarvesterChapter. 5: Revelations of DreamsChapter. 6: Subterranean VaultChapter. 7: Vault RoomChapter. 8: Pushing the LimitsChapter. 9: Relics & TestingChapter. 10: Encountering a Search PartyChapter. 11: Artificial Grade RelicsChapter. 12: Pyrrhic VictoryChapter. 13: Hollowed ChargerChapter. 14: Endless DangerChapter. 15: Finding SafetyChapter. 16: Exploring the LibraryChapter. 17: Reaching the TunnelChapter. 18: Consolidation of InformationChapter. 19: Messy ExecutionChapter. 20: RetributionChapter. 21: Maxing a SkillChapter. 22: Explosive PointChapter. 23: ArmoryChapter. 24: CondemnersChapter. 25: Mutated Hollowed ChargerChapter. 26: AdvancementChapter. 27: Interlude: New RulesChapter. 28: MonsterChapter. 29: MeetingChapter. 30: One Woman ArmyChapter. 31: Vice CommanderChapter. 32: RewardsChapter. 33: Grand CheckpointChapter. 34: Fallen NegotiationsChapter. 35: Gael, the CommanderChapter. 36: Unknown GradeChapter. 37: Shadow of the PastChapter. 38: Epilogue: Freedom & RevelationsAfterword Chapter. 1: Tincture of Fallen FlamesThe era of Grand Magic has long ended, and with it the source was shattered, the leylines have disappeared, and magic is fading.Humans are at the brink of extinction, forced to hide from the predators of the world.The eternal night will arrive, and the Dark Hollow will soon consume the world⁠—Or so they said.I shook my head.It was a tale as old as time, how the source of all magic was destroyed by the Immortal King Aileiron, and now with it gone we, the humans, had nothing but a speck of magic compared to ancient times. One that was finite and served no purpose but to trigger Relics of the Golden Era, the era of Grand Magic.It was a tale that my father had passed to me through his journal, my only possession of him. It was said that certain individuals could still connect to the source of Magic, and these were known as the Ascended, at least among humans.Other races were simply born with the right to still call upon the power that was the now broken source.However, they were nothing more than fantasies to think about at night, ones that kept one awake, they were just dreams.Now though, I didn’t have the capacity to dream, let alone luxuriate in such things. They were simply entertaining thoughts and nothing more. Dust floated and gathered, suspended mid air as it sparkled under the light of my helmet. Much of the mine had been stripped bare. Scarred rock walls had long been excavated, and with it my daily quota which was getting harder and harder to complete by the day.It didn’t help that the things I had to carry around were heavy.The metal alloy of the pickaxe was dense, and the Artificial Relic Grade helmet was unwieldy for me, but it provided near endless light to venture into the mine system.I didn’t really get it to be honest.The mines were supposedly a buried city from the Golden Era, but in my eyes it was just a massive cave system that had been mined for years. One that spanned for hundreds of kilometers.There was nothing that immediately screamed Golden Era to me, save for the possibility of very valuable but rare True Relics strewn about in crevices and pockets. In the past ten or so years, only about five Fourth Grade Relics had been found after all, which were the lowest grade of them all.That said, right now, I had to focus on finding something of value, even just raw materials from the Golden Era.Unfortunately, everywhere I went had long been stripped of anything possibly valuable.And finally, I found myself at a crossroads staring past a small wooden barrier.It had a small metal sign that said: Out of exploration range. In the camp, it was widely acknowledged that venturing past the barriers was suicidal… however⁠—My stomach roared with hunger.I hadn't met the quota in three days and in turn, I hadn’t eaten for that long. It wasn’t uncommon for people to die of hunger here.Death wasn’t uncommon. Beasts that lurked the depths of the mines would sometimes wander into the explored areas and kill a few miners. The first time I saw the aftermath, I threw up a lot, but now I had grown numb to it.However, looking at the barrier, my heart quickened.I had never ventured past any of them, but after so many years it was inevitable that it would happen at some point.I couldn’t hold off until the end of the week for them to begin expanding the exploration zone once more, not anymore at least. Any more days without eating and I felt like I would be too weak to mine and if that happened I would just starve.I reached for my backpack, feeling the carry bag inside of it. It contained my most precious possession — my father’s journal.Sybil, once you overcome fate itself, seek me at the end of the world.Those had always been the words at the end of it, words that I had read so many times and that gave me hope.I didn’t know why my father had abandoned me or why he had to leave, but right now that simple goal armed me with courage. My father had hope that I would survive this predicament I was in, even though I was born and raised at a mining camp.I took deep breaths readying myself, and then took a step forward⁠—“What are you doing?” A snort entered my ears, freezing me mid step.I turned only to see