novelraw Chapter 108: Echoes of Another World
Chapter 108: Echoes of Another World
Chapter 108: Echoes of Another World
Raven’s gaze turned to Jacob and the mercenaries who remained behind.
Jacob hesitated before asking, “Did you receive any word about Selene, My Lord?”
Raven’s eyes flickered with a shadow of emotion. He didn’t answer immediately—only turned toward the window, watching the faint glimmer of the moon beyond the hills.
“…Not yet,” he finally murmured. “But I will.”
Leona’s hands tightened over her skirt. “Is there a way to bring her back?”
Her voice wavered, the hint of doubt hanging heavy in the air.
The others stood behind her — Jacob, Reece, and the rest of the Sepoy Mercenaries — their faces tense, waiting. Even the faint crackle from the oil lamp couldn’t hide the unease spreading through the hall.
Raven’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes deepened, shadowed with thought.
‘They are still worried… It’s better to show them.’
“Can you wait for a few minutes?” he asked.
Jacob exchanged a glance with Leona and nodded. “We’ll wait.”
Raven closed his eyes. His breathing slowed until the room’s sounds faded — the whispers, the shifting feet, even the sighing wind. The world blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, he was seated on the elevated iron throne in the Ruler’s Throne Room. He then looked at the twelve, smaller throne-like seats, six on the right, six on the left.
His gaze fell on one — carved from obsidian and etched with the elegant form of a black cat.
The moment his consciousness spread towards the seat, a ripple ran through the air.
Then, a pull.
Like being dragged through water without resistance, his consciousness spiraled away, swallowed by a strange suction force.
When the world came back into focus, he was no longer in the throne room.
Through a faint, golden shimmer — a ring clutched in a woman’s hand — he saw her.
Selene.
She sat cross-legged on a stone floor, her raven black hair spilling over her shoulders, eyes closed in meditation. The faint hum of mana surrounded her.
Then, a sound — a lazy, half-curious “Meow?” echoed inside Raven’s head.
The ring trembled. Its golden surface rippled like liquid and, in an instant, took form — fur as dark as midnight, tail flicking with pride. A black cat stood where the ring had been.
Selene’s eyes snapped open. “What happened?”
The cat yawned, stretching its front paws. “I felt something strange enter my body.” Its tail swayed lazily as it padded toward the cave’s exit.
Light spilled in as it stepped outside.
Beyond the cavern’s mouth stretched a breathtaking sight — endless green lands rising into floating islands suspended in midair. Rivers of light drifted through the clouds. Two suns burned in the blue sky — one vast and golden, the other small and faint, like its younger twin.
Raven’s consciousness shivered.
He slowly pulled back, the image of the twin suns fading as the pull reversed.
The black cat turned its head, as if sensing something, just before everything went dark.
When Raven’s eyes opened again, he was back in the throne room — the air heavy, the silence deep. The engravings pulsed once on the cat’s throne before dimming completely.
He exhaled slowly and returned to the real world.
As Raven’s eyes fluttered open, the dim glow of the study lamps reflected faintly in his pupils. His body felt heavy, but his mind was sharp as ever. Across from him stood Jacob and the others, all wearing the same look of quiet alarm.
“My Lord…?” Jacob finally spoke, scratching his head nervously. “You’ve been sitting there like five minutes without moving. We thought you’d entered the dreamworld like Lady Selene and got a bit worried.”
Raven blinked twice, a faint, knowing smile forming at the corner of his lips. “Kinda similar,” he muttered cryptically. Then, raising his right hand, he whispered under his breath,
“Elapsed Illusion.”
The air around them shifted instantly. The faint scent of parchment and candle wax vanished, replaced by the damp chill of stone. The walls melted into shadows. Before anyone could react, the entire room had turned into a vast, gloomy cavern.
“W-What’s going on…?” Leona whispered, clutching the edge of the table.
Jacob took a cautious step forward, his eyes darting around the unfamiliar place. “This isn’t… an illusion, is it?”
Raven said nothing. His gaze was fixed ahead.
From the depths of the cavern, they saw Selene—sitting cross-legged in deep meditation. Her breathing was steady, her aura calm yet immense. Then, before their eyes, the golden ring on her finger began to glow, twisting and reshaping itself until it became a small cat, its body shimmering faintly with ethereal light.
The cat spoke.
Though its face was hidden in the shadows, its voice was soft yet resonant, echoing through the cavern walls.
When the creature turned toward the exit, the view beyond stole everyone’s breath.
Floating islands drifted across a brilliant, endless sky—two blazing suns hanging beside each other like twin jewels. Strange winged creatures soared between the clouds, and rivers of light coursed through the air like veins of magic.
The sight was otherworldly. Unreal. Beautiful.
Then, just as suddenly, the vision shattered—like a mirror struck by a hammer. Cracks of light split through the scene until everything dissolved back into the familiar warmth of the manor’s main hall.
No one spoke. Not for several seconds.
“W-What kind of place did she teleport to, My Lord?” Marcellus finally asked, rubbing his eyes as though trying to erase the image.
“What a breathtaking view!” Quincy exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. “Two suns, floating islands, talking cat… Is she trapped in some dream world?”
Raven shook his head slowly. “No. The world she’s in isn’t a dream. It’s… real.”
The air grew heavier as his words sank in.
“She’s in a completely different world,” he continued after a brief pause. “But she’s not lost. There are two ways she can return. One is through the help of that strange cat—the very being that drew her into that world. The other…” His tone deepened. “...is to wait for our own world to advance far enough technologically to reach her. That, however, might take a century or two.”
“A century?” Leona gasped, her eyes wide.
“I might not be alive by then,” Reece muttered with a forced smile. Felicity nodded silently beside him, her expression pale but calm.
Raven chuckled under his breath, the sound low but oddly reassuring. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on letting any of you die so easily.”
That earned him a few hesitant smiles. Then he leaned back, eyes turning distant again.
“Besides,” he said, “during my last adventure, I discovered something in a ruin—an ancient relic from a forgotten Agith era. It’s said to allow travel between worlds. If I can recreate it… We might be able to bring Selene back much sooner.”
The room brightened—not with light, but with hope. Faces that had been heavy moments ago now glowed with determination.
“For that to happen,” Raven said, his tone firm, “we need to construct the Magic Tower as soon as possible.”
“We’ll do everything we can to help the process, My Lord,” Quincy replied solemnly, bowing his head.
Raven nodded. “Good.”
With that, he dismissed the group. As the others dispersed, Raven turned toward the staircase.
He then quietly returned to his room on the second floor.
Raven pushed open the door to the master bedroom and stepped inside. The faint scent of polished wood and clean linen greeted him. He glanced around — the room looked entirely new. Fresh furniture gleamed in the warm aether light, and the large cotton bed looked softer than clouds.
He sat down for a moment, then slowly leaned back against the pillow.
‘They even changed the curtains,’ he thought absently. ‘The entire room looks renewed.’
But his gaze soon drifted to the glowing aether lamp above. Its steady hum filled the silence.
‘The assassination of the envoy was too sudden. Although I expected the war to begin, I still thought it would take at least a year or two.’ In truth, there were too many things that felt like they were pre-planned.
‘Assassination of the envoy… Fallen Knight army’s attack on the Sterlinghart family and its surrounding lands. Viser kingdom’s two main armies are deploying to the Crimson Fort and Western Fort right after the war declaration… Everyone can tell that Viser Kingdom started this war by sending an envoy to his death.’ Unfortunately, it was impossible to stop the war now.
‘Still, I should gather as much intel as possible.’ He knew that even a small information could save his life.
‘I also need to talk to Selene.’
During the past four months, Raven had been quietly monitoring Selene — not directly, but through the eyes of Morpheus. Now and then, he would open the connection, just long enough to watch her progress. Through these glimpses, he’d realized something astonishing — the flow of time in Selene’s world was slower.
To be precise, time there moved four times slower than in the Eclipse World.
That was the reason Raven hadn’t tried to contact her again. For her, only a few weeks had passed — while months had gone by here. He had decided it was wiser to observe, to wait, and to plan.
‘Should I arrange a meeting?’ Raven thought, sitting up slowly.
After a brief silence, he made up his mind. He closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to fade into the bottomless void.
When he opened them again, he was no longer in his bedroom.
He was standing before the Ruler’s Throne.
Unlike the first time, the Throne Hall had become neat, and lots of decorations were placed.
The vast, dimly lit hall stretched up to 100 meters, lined with twelve seats, each of which had been engraved with symbols.
His face shifted, returning to his original one — sharp, regal, and calm. He lifted his hand slightly, and a ripple of power spread through the hall like a wave. The energy resonated with the artifacts connected to every active member.
In that instant, Elizabeth, Selene, and Noel were all informed.
With that done, Raven descended the throne’s steps. As he walked, his appearance shimmered once again. His features shifted — his long dark hair shortened, his expression grew colder, and the aura around him changed.
He was no longer Raven.
He was Thomas Holmes.
Out of thin air, a bowler hat and a monocle appeared before him. He caught them effortlessly, placed the hat neatly atop his head, adjusted his tie, and slipped on the monocle.
He walked toward one of the engraved chairs — the one bearing the butterfly symbol — and sat down.
For a few moments, he remained silent, fingers tapping lightly against the chair’s armrest. Then, he stood up, turning his gaze toward the mouse symbol, then to the coiling electric serpent, and finally to the black cat symbol.
After a short pause, he removed his hat, bowed slightly, and murmured a few words that only the hall itself seemed to understand. Then, as quietly as he had come, he sat back down — waiting.
Minutes passed. Ten, to be exact.
Then, the illusion faded.
Thomas Holmes vanished, and Raven’s original appearance returned. He walked back to the Iron Throne and sat upon it once again.
Raising his right hand, he waved gently. Four faint silhouettes appeared before him — hazy at first, but soon solidifying into lifelike projections.