novelraw Chapter 258: Fantasia of Fantasias
Chapter 258: Fantasia of Fantasias
Chapter 258: Fantasia of Fantasias Arriving back in Yarian, Soren was greeted by a flurry of wind and ice that instantly chilled him to the bone. Parts of the cave he was resting in had somewhat collapsed, letting in more of the blizzard than he would like.
And yet, despite the temperatures dropping dangerously low, Soren kept his mind fixated on but a single thought.
Is Figment lying, or is there really something wrong with that entry?...
The cryptic entry he had read—Soren had assumed it to be nothing more than a desperate message passed to him during Figment’s final moments… A letter outlining his concerns in regards to the anomaly in that ancient space.
But the truth turned out to be even stranger than he had assumed…
Not only did FIgment not write the message at all, it had also eerily replaced the real entry that was [Record]ed. This was something neither of them could understand.
Although he wanted to doubt Figment, his contract clearly stipulated that the cloned apparition could no longer hide any information from him.
As he slowly cleared away the piled up snow from his surroundings, Soren stood up and stretched as his mind whirled with new questions. He couldn’t help but sigh.
I had been planning to ask Figm—Biblion on some of the strange information found on that entry. Who would of thought it was never his writing in the first place…
When he tried questioning him on the so-called ‘roots’ that were mentioned, the cloned apparition seemed utterly bewildered. Because Biblion had previously received unwarranted information regarding The One Above All through the flame enchantment’s corruption, Soren had assumed that the message's contents were also obtained similarly. Ultimately, he was proven wrong, implying that the message was obtained through another source…
Although the cryptic entry warned against looking at them, the pair still decided to search the entirety of the subspace for any clues related to these ‘roots.’
As expected, their investigation unfortunately ended in disappointment. Just like when Soren felt like he was being watched and tried to find the source of his discomfort, they once again found nothing.
What really baffled Soren, however, was the message’s intentions. Both Figment and Soren were aware that the entity slumbering within that ancient space had bad intentions. Its awakening would more than likely spell their doom.
So then, if the cryptic message had come from that same anomaly, why would it instruct Soren to not awaken it? The message was clearly trying to warn them—to make sure they did not fall to the flame enchantment’s temptations.
Could there actually be two anomalies? The thought made him even more fearful. Maybe they are enemies?..
If we assume there really are two, their actions could be seen as diametrically opposed to each other. Perhaps us falling for the flame enchantment’s corruption goes against the other anomaly’s plans, so it decided to help us by sending that cryptic message…
The more he thought about it, the more confident he grew in this theory. Relaying his thoughts through [Record], another entry quickly appeared on his Soul Weapon.
The Two Anomaly Theory
Two hidden entities might exist within [The Faerie Court]. One of them has intentions of corrupting us, but the other doesn’t. Perhaps we can take advantage of this.
Signed by: Biblion
Soren couldn’t help but chuckle. “This bastard is already using his name to sign things?”
He shook his head and glanced out of the cave’s entrance. The snow storm was still raging outside, clouding everything in a glossy white fog.
Not a lot of time had passed it seems.
Although his body had already recovered through [Fictionalization], trying to climb during this weather would be no different from suicide. Ever since his fated ascension began, Soren had grown aware of just how eerie the storms were in the Upper Winds. There was a strange, “life-like” quality to them that was full of indignation and hatred, as if they were purposefully trying to kill anyone who dared to scale the mountain.
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Soren had even theorized it could be the result of a powerful magecraft formation, but there wasn’t really any evidence to support it yet. [Eyes of the Fairy] had not given him any substantial information.
“Since I’m stuck here for a while longer, I might as well experiment a bit.”
From the echoing of his voice, Soren could tell that this cave was extremely spacious. It likely stretched further into the mountain than he had initially assumed.
Before I begin exploring, there’s one thing I need to test…
With his eyes closed, Soren gave the mental command, letting his Soul Weapon glow brighter. The pages suddenly began to ruffle on their own, transforming into a swarm of golden butterflies that quickly spun in circles above his head, forming a shape similar to an angel’s halo.
[Hymns of the Unseen].
Out of nowhere, silence flooded his surroundings. The distant yet boisterous whistle of the wind ceased entirely, leaving only the drumming of his heartbeat. Soren continued to stand there, amidst the eerie stillness. Waiting and waiting and waiting… Like a fisherman anticipating the soft ripples before landing a big catch.
Eventually, his patience paid off. From both everywhere, and nowhere—from far away and closeby… a soft hum made its existence be known.
A hum sung by what could only be described as a siren… or a fairy longing for mischief and pain. There was also a strange emotion of longing attached to each tune, as if the singer desperately seeked to be heard and admired. A story of loneliness, wonder, and excitement told through each cycle of the rhythm…
Taking in the melody, Soren’s body began to move on its own. Like a puppet moved by strings, he danced wildly, ignoring the freezing snow and ice. All unnecessary thoughts left his mind, as if he had become possessed by the song. He could no longer even tell what movements he was making anymore.
After what felt like an eternity, the melody ceased on its own, snapping him back to reality. Sharp pain began coursing through his joints, alerting him of his body’s current state.
This dance… It injured some of my ligaments?
This was not something he was expecting. The previous worldsong he danced to was somewhat uncomfortable, but it never caused him pain outside a few minor cramps…
I'll have to be careful in the future. What if there is a worldsong out there who’s dance causes me serious harm? Since the sensation tends to be outside of his control, the risk was extremely high. Not to mention, the pain he was feeling only came to his awareness after the dance ended, meaning there wasn’t a clear way for him to assess the danger when it arrived.
Frowning, Soren took out a small bottle from his Spatial Bracelet filled with a shimmering red liquid and drank it. The vitality potion quickly got to work, numbing most of the pain.
He glanced at the now empty bottle—his expression a mix of sadness and satisfaction. I only have twelve or so more bottles remaining. I should try to limit my usage…
Being able to reach [The Faerie Court] whenever he pleased gave him a major advantage. Instead of relying on the potions, he could instead spend time healing his injuries in the ancient space using [Fictionalization].
Of course, the drain of having to use his barrier magecraft each time he travels there will certainly add up… He made a mental note to simply be more careful next time.
Sitting back down above the piled snow, Soren stared at his Soul Weapon once, watching the mysterious fountain pen [Record] another entry. It didn’t take long for him to read it:
Fantasia of Fantasias (Musica)
Histories and myths, stories and legends, fairies and demons. What once was is now lost, and what became is now hidden. The song of ages flickers in the dark, bridging the gaps in fiction! May the lands of fantasia color us all!
Reading the description, Soren couldn’t help but smile. I finally chronicled Yarian’s true Worldsong… Some of the descriptions struck him as odd, but there were others that were obvious.
Unlike Yeongwon, the name of the world itself wasn’t mentioned this time. Instead, the description made references to fantasia, the governing principle of this world.
This made Soren wonder whether the worldsongs were actually related to the Universal Law of each world. Or perhaps, there was something else about Yarian that made it different from Yeongwon…
He decided to leave his theorizing for later and focus on the rest of the information. Below the description was the usual sheet music associated with the worldsong, allowing him to listen to it any time he pleases. And all the way at the very bottom of the page, his current understanding of the tunes was inscribed in dark black ink:
Worldsong Embodiment: 47.5%
“That’s higher than I thought…”
Of course, since his knowledge of the gods, the history of the First through Third Ages, and his overall understanding of each nation’s geopolitics were still limited, Soren hadn’t surpassed the 50% mark. However, this didn’t take away from his achievement. The fact that he could already embody close to half of the worldsong through his acquired knowledge alone was extremely impressive. Not to mention, he had accomplished all of this in the span of less than a year.
There’s no need to rush, he quickly reminded himself. I can raise that number fairly easily once I find the second scroll at the mountain’s summit.
Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Soren smiled and moved on to the next crucial step. The time to summon this world’s Murmur had finally arrived…