novelraw Chapter 264: Estuary of the Stars
Chapter 264: Estuary of the Stars
Chapter 264: Estuary of the Stars“You seriously talk too much.”
The words echoed loudly across the infinite space. More and more murals raced by, like an endlessly passing stream of history.
“Do I?” The voice beamed back in surprise. “I suppose my excitement has gotten the best of me. Though, is that not to your benefit?
“This is information not many could ever hope to obtain!”
“That would be the case if any of it is even true,” Soren chuckled. “Just hurry up and do what you need to do. It’s already annoying enough that you’re inside my head.”
There was a brief pause before he heard him sigh.
“Truly, the opposite of your teacher when it comes to patience.”
Solyara… Soren clicked his tongue.
He knew the Whispering Dream was just trying to mock him. He felt the same when the saint explained how he had been prying on his journey all along.
And yet… something about it all felt strange. The way he was speaking was different compared to how he usually remembered him.
The Silmar he knew was calculating… But also calm and collected. Someone with a stated goal, and a way to achieve it. His words are nothing more than a weapon to advance his schemes.
But this Silmar was not only playful, but also strangely… animated? Soren didn’t know whether this was due to actual changes, or a ruse meant to lull him into a false lead.
“This Main Branch you speak of,” He decided to stall for time, “does it extend all the way to the very bottom of the Celestial Heights?”
“Correct.” The response came quickly. “All of the branches extend down into the mountain’s Celestial Heights, and their existence is even reflected further into the Upper Winds. Of course, not many would ever suspect some obscure caves to hide such an ancient secret. Most don’t even survive long enough!”
“What purpose do they even serve?”
Surprisingly, he was met with silence this time. There was a brief pause before the Whispering Dream answered:
“To maintain this world’s mired existence.”
“What…?”
Silmar’s lips slowly curled. “Haven’t you heard from your Mistress about this world’s ruination? Don’t tell me she hid the most crucial aspect regarding this subject…”
Crucial aspect? What the hell is he talking about… Soren couldn’t understand his point. The ruination was occurring due to Yarian’s World Star becoming more and more unsynched with the orbits of its Celestial Star. It was through this phenomenon that the Vynasians were able to invade this world.
Why would this be related to a strange ancient monument from before the First Age?
After prying into Soren’s thoughts, Silmar couldn’t help but laugh.
“How pitiful… To think the mistress you trusted so much would leave out something this important! Are you sure she valued any of you?”
“Get to the point,” Soren rolled his eyes.
“Alright, alright!...” The enigmatic saint sighed. “It's very simple, you see.
“The ruination… never had anything to do with the freezing of this world’s Celestial fate!”
Hearing this, Soren’s eyes twitched slightly.
“This world!” His laughter reverberated across the ancient cathedral. “This world has been cursed from the very start!”
“I… I don’t believe you…” it felt as if his entire understanding of this world was slowly crumbling beneath his feet. What Silmar was saying was far too nonsensical!
“Oh, but it is true! You will come to the same conclusion as me very soon.”
Soon? What the hell is he planning?! The revelations were already enough to make him question every one of his decisions, but the confidence in Silmar’s voice worried him.
If he had to tell the truth, Soren was aware of how hopeless his situation was at the moment. Not only was the Whispering Dream inside his mind, listening to all his thoughts, but escaping his current environment itself was largely impossible. The Cathedral of Aeons’ Main Branch was already enough to almost kill him, if not for the enigmatic saint’s intervention.
And then there was the issue of the Holy Maiden… The Avalonian King’s ancient daughter. Her presence was far too overwhelming—the darkness he had been navigating all along turned out to be a result of Her powers. If She truly willed it, Soren wouldn’t even have the opportunity to imagine an escape route in his dreams.
He had known from the very start that a confrontation against the Whispering Dream was inevitable. This became even more certain after the attack on the Temple of the Stars.
And yet… despite his preparations, a solution to his current predicament was utterly out of reach…
Every one of his trump cards—Tazzith, The Heartdrinker Sigil, even his escape back into the [The Faerie Court]... None of them mattered anymore.
Glancing up at the distant ocean of stars, Soren met the gaze of his senior apprentice—the first person in this world to have ever trusted in him.
“Cassia…” The name scraped its way out of his throat, knowing she would never respond. She hovered beside the Holy Maiden, suspended in the air, eyes glossy and utterly hollow—nothing like the little girl he once remembered.
In that moment, a part of him couldn’t help but feel glad to have left Myrin behind. Judging by the fact that he was still alive, Soren was certain that the Whispering Dream still needed him for something. The prophecy he had gleaned from Mistress Sienna’s fate star had all but confirmed this suspicion of his.
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But the same couldn’t be said about his trusted companion. No doubt, Silmar would have likely killed him if he was here, or worse, turned him into another puppet. Such was how a being like the Whispering Dream handled things he found no use for.
“Ah… That prophecy… Your thoughts reminded me.” The words echoed in his mind faintly, making him recall the dangerous presence hiding within.
“I wonder… Have you already come to a decision?”
“.....” Soren remained silent, refusing to utter a single thought or answer.
Silmar chuckled.
“I see. I can sort of guess why. The answer you seek has yet to be discovered.
“I am very fascinated to see your final choice.”
“Is that why you’re keeping me alive? Can’t you make that decision for me?”
The Whispering Dream’s laughter filled the surrounding void.
“If only… If only my existence were my own! How pitiful indeed…”
His words confused him, but Soren could tell there was more at play than what was being told. His only choice now was to bide for time—only with more information could he hope to survive this ordeal.
“So when will you show me it then? You said I will come to the same conclusion as you… I can’t tell anymore whether it is me who is stalling for time or you.”
Silmar smiled. “The opportunity must arrive.”
Opportunity? Soren furrowed his brows. He recalled him saying something about how the way to cross this infinite space required the arrival of an opportune moment. He wondered if it was related to that.
Reading his thoughts, the dream lingering entity confirmed his suspicions. “Exactly. There are certainly many ways to exploit the rules of this place, but all of them are beyond my means except for one.
“I require… a certain flaw’s existence, you see. One that plagues every corner of this chamber’s fabric of time.”
Before Soren could question him any further, the Whispering Dream announced in excitement, “It’s finally here!”
Soren glanced up at the distant sea of stars in bewilderment. He noticed the Holy Maiden’s surrounding darkness stirring once more, leaving goosebumps across his skin.
In just the matter of a blink, the light that once shone brightly across every square inch of this chasm vanished, consumed by a bestial shadow that left him utterly paralyzed in fear.
“MY HEART! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!” A violent roar came from the abyss below his feet, creeping its way through the surrounding flurry of wind. A frigid sensation took over, threatening to drown him in its chilling embrace.
“Do not worry, creature.” A soft chuckle echoed across his now empty mind. “Your fate will be decided soon—Praise be to the Orbits!”
Soren didn’t even have time to contemplate what had occurred. Just as the Whispering Dream finished uttering that sentence, a bright flash of light more brilliant than any of the stars he had witnessed earlier eclipsed his vision. Scolding hot pain overwhelmed his nerves—he felt his blood boiling beneath his skin. Then, before he could even overcome the sensation, it suddenly vanished. As if it had all been erased from existence…
Soren opened his eyes to a blurry mess. It took him a few moments to adjust to the new light. Where… Where am I?...
His body no longer felt weightless, signifying that they had indeed escaped the clutches of the Main Branch. But where they had arrived continued to elude him.
That was until he looked up.
Above him stretched an infinite cosmos, fragmented yet all-encompassing in scope. Countless strands of color crisscrossed across the void, overlapping like a vast web strung across celestial heights. When he focused on any single thread, pain lanced through his mind. It felt as if his very Runic Existence could be shattered.
And yet, he still saw something within… Each strand held its own kind of cosmos, deeper and more expansive than the last.
Soren then looked down.
Beneath him stretched a reflective surface, smooth as glass, extending endlessly in every direction. Below it lay the world he knew, rivers, mountains, and forests unfolded beneath the surface, layer upon layer, repeating and diverging as they went.
In that moment, Soren felt akin to a god overlooking the lands he ruled. Yarian’s supercontinent had been unfolded like a map, stretching far and wide for him to see. The vibrant markets of Celestine Citadel, the awe-dropping spires and castles of Staterra, the endless piles of bones beneath the black sands of the Eclipse Moor…
Every layer of the atmosphere, every layer of sediment, every layer of history and society itself… He could see it all—nothing was hidden beneath his reflection.
For a moment, he was reminded of [The Faerie Court]’s gateways—their polished surfaces… The way they revealed the worlds they were anchored to.
The thought, however, didn’t survive his scrutiny. What he was seeing before him, after all, wasn’t just a simple window…
It was a perspective stripped of all separations. He was truly standing above the world, but also within it…
“I welcome you, Mr. Traveler… to the true Cathedral of Aeons. The destination you have been seeking all along.
“The Estuary of the Stars.”
Silmar’s voice came from within the space itself this time, prompting him to turn his head toward the source. What he saw left him utterly stunned.
Reflected in Soren’s eyes was a vast circular rupture, an abyss torn straight through the world’s surface. The breach across the mirror-like surface beneath his feet stretched outward, past any noticeable horizon. And into its depths drifted clusters of strange, star-like orbs—all of them descending from the infinite cosmos above.
He immediately knew what it was.
The Main Branch. The very chasm they had escaped moments ago…
Turning his gaze slightly, he noticed a hooded figure sitting at the edge of the chasm. A long black staff with three bells attached to its apex rested on his lap casually, as he spectated the abyss stretching before him.
Soren’s frown deepened as he followed his gaze to the center of the chasm, where he spotted something familiar. Amidst the stream of orb-like stars descending into the shadowy pit, another figure could be seen levitating above the grand fissure.
“Mistress Sienna…?” His eyes widened.
Her illustrious platinum hair cascaded down her tattered robes, illuminated by the brilliant stars descending from all sides. Some of the mysterious orbs seemed to be attracted to her presence, orbiting around her as if she was another celestial object.
And yet, she did not move or respond to his presence. He noticed her arms were pinned above her head, her body held aloft by some unseen force. As if she had been nailed to an invisible crucifix…
Is this where he’s holding her?… The lump in his throat grew more heavy. Above Sienna’s figure were two other silhouettes he was familiar with—the Holy Maiden and Cassia. They levitated freely, as if awaiting Silmar’s commands.
“You bastard…” Soren tightened his fists. “What the hell do you want? How did you manage to get the Shepherd of the Nameless Fold under your command? What exactly is this world’s ruination? What does it all have to do with Cassia’s decision?!
“Explain everything already!”
A quiet chuckle slipped out from beneath the hood.
Seated at the edge of the abyss, the Whispering Dream shifted, robes stirring as he turned to face Soren, who stood a short distance behind him.
As he gazed beneath the hood, a cold suddenly ran down Soren’s spine.
“You…
“You’re not Silmar…”
There was never a person there. The robes concealed nothing but a rolling cloud of radiant dust—motes in flux forming and unforming into a figure that no one could recognize.
“Who the hell are you… Is this another one of your sick jokes?”
“Not quite,” He answered back succinctly. “You are right in the sense that I am not Silmar. However, I am also him at the same time.”
The confusion on Soren’s face was palpable, causing him to chuckle.
“If I had to describe it in a way you would understand, Silmar would be akin to an avatar—something that is me but isn’t.”
“Avatar…” Soren clicked his tongue. He realized this was just Silm—the Whispering Dream’s way of adding insult to injury. All of his memories and experiences, everything he’s ever known… He had been prying into all of it from the very start.
There was nothing left for Soren to hide.