novelraw Chapter 105 - 104 - Mercy
Chapter 105 - 104 - Mercy
Lind slowly woke up. The smell of medicinal pills and the gentle feeling of formations to keep a room comfortable permeated his senses as his muddled mind tried to sort out what was going on. His memory seemed to be refusing to function but a critically important thing happened. He had to remember.
The dull ache of his body helped rouse his mind more fully but the strange wooden ceiling only confused Lind more. Where was he? The sunlight streaming in around the closed curtain told him it was day time but without knowing if it was an eastern facing window or west, he could not tell the exact time.
The headache was building but he noticed a pot of tea steaming by his bed. The aroma eased his mind just smelling it. Lind slowly poured a cup and blew on it as he consumed it. The pleasing liquid soothed not just his mind, but his body as well.
"Farrow Tea. I think this is from the Divine Sword Sect lands." Lind recalled the tea Solon had once sworn by. Lind had attempted to make the tea but it was just tea, but this was clearly prepared correctly to help soothe basic aches and pains.
Lind slowly sat up completely and froze. He was naked. A swift glance at his hands and he relaxed when he saw his ring. A glance inside and his staff as well as most everything that should be there was present. Why was his staff in his ring?
Suddenly, he noticed what was not present. The 4 vials of the peak Heaven grade 2 elixirs he had made so long ago were missing. What had happened to them?
The moment he wondered, his memory crashed rudely into his mind. The terror of oblivion had been closing in as he clawed for survival. His death was certain, but he had chosen to refuse to let those devils have their way.
The explosion of elemental Qi had been ripping him apart but Lind had not cared. What mattered was stopping such horrible evil from persevering. The last thing Lind clearly remembered was the Immortal Artificer dispersing before a blinding light took him into darkness. How was he alive, let alone even able to move?
Lind attempted to look himself over but felt pain immediately. He then tried to cultivate but the pain was there too. It was not terrible and clearly less, but he did not push it. His Touch had improved immensely as he was effortlessly keeping Qi throttled despite being passed out.
The door suddenly swung inward and Lind saw a familiar face but panic flooded his body as he realized his hair was back to its original colors. He also saw a golden glint on the other table by his bed. His identity was exposed!
"There is no need to panic, Lind Frey. Or do you prefer Taren Cord?" Nadia smiled warmly at him and he felt relief flood him. "You have been out for 3 days. Your recovery has been remarkable but the healer told us you should refrain from cultivating for at least a week." Lind agreed with the last part but the fact he was out for 3 days when he should be dead still stunned him.
"How–how am I alive?" His voice was a little shaky and he felt weak as well so he laid back down as Nadia adjusted his pillows. She had cut her hair short and it looked good on her. Her cool hand on his brow told Lind he had had a fever from his memories of his mother treating sick cultivators.
"Your fever has broken so you are past the worst of it. You are a very lucky man, Lind Frey." Hearing his name after months of being called Taren was a little jarring but not unpleasant. "What do you remember of the Ruin? It was a rather dramatic exit you made."
Lind took a moment to organize his thoughts and the fear of those moments were reflected on his face as he felt a strong hand grasp his own. He smiled up at her and began with what happened at the border.
As he spoke, he saw the flash of awe in her eyes as he described the sprawling castle and its grounds. He spoke on the strangeness of profound formations but no pain to his Eyes. The maze was shortened as it was merely a massive path he had to get through, but the distrust of his ease of passage made Lind feel like a fool.
It was clear that Lind had been made to feel frustrated so he would not suspect how easily he was passing through the supposed trial of the Ruin. A mental trap was far more difficult to detect when influenced by his own emotions rather than an external attack. Lind then spoke of the awe inspiring serenity of open grassland and peaceful river.
"I was never so glad to bathe in my life." Lind paused as he collected himself. The terror of what was to come still haunted him. "At first, the female spirit seemed so kind, but they just–they just–" He could not finish it as tears broke from him.
He had been going to be wiped from existence. He was going to die and the 2 of them treated it as a minor thing. An afterthought is all his death meant to them. His very existence had been nothing and that feeling of helplessness washed over him now that he was not fighting for his life.
Comforting sounds came to his ears as Lind felt gentle patting of his head and he calmed down. Lind went through his life and remembered all he had faced with his heart demons and forcing his way through the Tri-Clan Tournament despite the chances he could cripple himself.
Lind remembered his mother, his siblings, Teyla, Teylin, Sheyra, Cyntilla, Qing, and Shoti. Granny and the Old Man smiled in his memory as great comforts. Younger Twin, despite the distance between them, had saved his life as well. Jia Teng, despite never truly knowing her, had defended him from darkness as well. Lind was a fortunate man.
He was not alone, not even when he was near the ones he loved.
"I was nothing to them. I was an afterthought to their plans to be reborn in flesh and blood." He began again as he firmed up his fragile soul and the horror of what he described made Nadia clasp his hand hard. He knew she was reassuring him that this was reality. He was not dreaming.
Lind then glanced at his golden badge and smiled at it.
"A desperate man will grab any straw in a storm. I knew I was going to die, only delaying the inevitable with my harmony, but I had once done something miraculous over a year ago." Nadia nodded for him to continue. "I created peak Heaven grade 2 elixirs while under enlightenment. They were of all 6 elements and 4 vials of it. I drank them all."
Stunned shock filled Nadia's eyes. She felt floored looking at Lind from what he could tell. He scratched the side of his cheek as he realized how monumentally stupid it sounded, but in the moment of life and death, he really was grasping at straws.
"The last thing I saw was both souls dispersing in terror before a blinding light sent me into darkness. Then I woke up here." Lind felt exhausted. His throat was dry but before he could reach for it, a set of hands moved first. Nadia helped him swallow the tea and she sat digesting what he told her. She seemed to be contemplating something.
"Did you see black lightning at all?" Lind went back into his memory and slowly nodded. Right at the end he did indeed remember black lightning falling on the plains and tearing it up. He had wondered what that was but he was far too weak to care. Lind had in fact assumed his vision had been failing as he died at that moment.
"The Ruin is gone, Lind. It was destroyed by karmic retribution tribulation. A massive black storm had gathered above it and we evacuated before it struck. You must have brought the attention of the Heavens or removed something the Ruins still had to hide what was going on inside of it." Lind was not sure what would be more impressive, that he drew the attention of the Heavens or that his desperate attack could damage an Immortal Realm formation.
"As we fled, and it was terrifying to feel it even at a distance, a silver cloud formed that shot a golden beam down into the Ruin." Lind felt a jolt. He felt like he barely remembered a feeling of security as his mind fell into blackness. It had been an act of mercy from the Heavens?
Nadia saw his awe and she smiled at him.
"I am not sure how the karma is decided but based on what you told me and what you chose to do, I am sure the Heavens were not wrong to offer restitution to you. Your body was mildly burned but you were alive." Lind felt blessed. He internally thanked the spirits of Heaven and Earth for their mercy.
Fresh tears fell from his eyes. He was alive! His eyes felt heavy as sleep reclaimed him. That much talking had drained him and the security he was alive released the tension in his mind. A pleasant smile graced his face as sleep took over.
****
Nadia quietly closed the door behind her. Mirella and she had theorized what could have happened but their worst guesses were pale in comparison to the reality. An Immortal had made an Inheritance to find a suitable host but was discovered and a fall back had been to rely on a Ruin existence to find a 6 elemental.
Her anger at what they had been helping as they sent people inside was allayed by the fact 6 elementals were rare to begin with, otherwise who knows what would have happened if anyone else had gone in.
"He woke up?" The gray haired Mirella met Nadia in the healing quarters hallway. Lind was not the only person there but he had been there the longest. His identity was entered as Taren Cord but the thunderous news of the karmic retribution was impossible to hide. The aura of the horrifying tribulation storm had been felt in Veritas.
Nadia nodded and motioned to follow her. The 2 women were close friends so it was not out of line for the lower realm Nadia to take the lead. They left the healing quarters and only stopped once they were back in the Guild Leader's office. Mirella smirked as Nadia stopped in front of her door.
"Won't you come in, Nadia?" The teasing tone did not break Nadia, which told Mirella it was bad. They both entered and Mirella enacted her privacy formations. As she was at low Diamond Tier, she had gotten mid-Diamond Tier formations with her resources.
"It was all a trap.." Nadia began to narrate what Lind had told her and Mirella felt rage in her heart nearly explode. A leech had twisted the intent of Inheritances to extend his own life and eventually find a new body. If not for Lind Frey, they would have been guilty of feeding a poor soul to oblivion.
No one was quite sure how karma would be measured, but ignorance was known to not be an effective defense. That bastard had tried to taint them all and this boy had saved them. They owed him.
"We will release the truth to those that need to know, but hide how it was found. Also, the secret realm has already closed so you missed your chance for the decade. You understand that, yes?" Nadia nodded and Mirella was glad to see her not too disappointed. Nadia had discovered the strange area in the secret realm but only a 6 elemental can enter it. I was unlikely that Lind Frey could help them there anymore.
"We have a ship leaving in 2 weeks to Indelia. He will be on it and we will ensure he arrives safely. We will also, obviously, get him a good wardrobe that will better hide his identity. Tell him about the demons looking for him as well. We owe this boy far more but hopefully we will get the chance for it in the future." Mirella was at the end of her potential but she had centuries left to live.
If it was the last thing she did, she would repay this debt to Lind Frey.