That was before learning the tree had effectively lobotomized most of the continent’s living beings.
He hadn’t abandoned his vision of a disciplined, principled conquest.
But it seemed that reality had other plans.
"I’ll try," he said at last, voice low.
It was the only promise he could make.
"That’s enough." Valandar nodded, relieved—but not naïve. "Then listen carefully. I’ll tell you what you want to know while we still can."
In the remaining minutes of their private exchange, Jake learned another way to restore the Chalice of Lumyst.
If the original fragments were no longer available, they could be replaced with something equivalent. And only one entity met that condition.
Anthace.
The problem?
The properties of those fragments—along with their near-limitless Life Lumyst—had been distributed evenly throughout the tree’s entire body, fundamentally altering its nature. In a sense, the whole tree had become a proto-chalice.
But no individual part—branch, sap, leaf—possessed the intrinsic quality required to reforge the Chalice as it once was.
Hence the existence of the variable-quality Goblets of Ethershine.
The only part of Anthace that might satisfy the material requirements was a very specific region at the core of its trunk—where its own Life Lumyst Core resided.
Unfortunately, that didn’t solve everything.
The fragments’ properties were dispersed across its colossal body. Every cell had inherited a fraction of that energy.
If Jake used only the heart of the trunk as forging material... The resulting Chalice would inevitably be inferior.
That was why Valandar proposed another solution.
One Jake liked a whole lot more.
Kill Anthace.
Or rather... force it into a corner so extreme that, by pure survival instinct, it would condense its entire vitality into a single seed—one last desperate attempt to preserve itself and maybe sprout again in some distant, more favorable era.
An ordinary plant couldn’t pull that off.
But the Titan Tree? With its mastery of Lumyst rivaling Claire’s own?
Yeah. It absolutely could.
It wouldn’t be easy. Not even close. But Jake didn’t exactly have the luxury of alternatives.
As their conversation drew to a close, the Celestial began to tremble. Subtle at first. Then worse. Spasms rippled through him, each one harder to suppress than the last.
He hurried to relay the final pieces of crucial information. And the instant the barrier isolating them from prying senses finally collapsed—
Anthace made its move.
Across the continent, it unleashed its army.
Billions of resurrected Saints and Radiant Lords erupted from the earth—former heroes, forgotten legends, even past Celestials whose auras burned brighter than Valandar’s own.
Everything they had discussed was confirmed in the most brutal way possible.
Lustris didn’t just fall. Twyluxia itself plunged into a level of chaos and panic that made the earlier collapse look tame.
*****
Back in the present, the faltering words of the Celestial took on a different tone.
A requiem.
"Ah... Anthace... How long have you been plotting this betrayal?"
Valandar forced the look of wounded disbelief. Even if it was theater, it bought him a few extra seconds before he drowned.
His gaze swept across the Saints blooming from the buds.
Pure performance, Jake thought, face blank.
"All these Saints...These millions of warriors...No—these billions of Light Warriors.Brave, loyal, courageous...I don’t recognize all of them, but I recognize many. Many across the thousands of years I’ve lived."
The Celestial inhaled deeply, drawing in the continent through the wind itself.
He’s really farming aura until the bitter end, Jake sneered internally.
"Judging by the number of Saints our land has produced over the last few centuries...and the number of auras I feel here—auras on par with the current Conclave, or even stronger—I can already estimate how long you’ve been preparing all of this.
His voice sharpened.
"Tens of thousands of years... at the very least."
Then his expression hardened.
You’re about to turn into a puppet I’ll have to beat senseless. Why bother posturing? Jake winced.
"And some of these auras... match my own. Others... exceed it. The Celestials who came before me. You even got your hands on their remains..."
His eyes narrowed.
Oscar-worthy performance. That’s all this is. Jake applauded silently.