novelraw Chapter 280: Forsaken
Chapter 280: Forsaken
Chapter 280: Forsaken Echoes of distant footfalls shuffling through muddied soil resonated through the dark mist. Although its figure was shrouded in by suffocating shadows, the radiant white light of its sword still pierced through the gloom.
It was a creature that resembled a human in shape alone. Hunched over like a puppet that had some of its strings broken, the strange thing dragged its feet forward through Carcosa’s forgotten ashes, struggling to keep itself balanced. Pierced through its chest was the only thing that differentiated it from the darkness that made up its twisted form: A blade forged of pure white light, unsullied by the world it resided in.
“Let me go! Please!” The voice of a child resonated for a while, only to be stifled by the fog in the end. Noticing the commotion, the colossal shadowy eyes smudging the skies all turned toward the creature, as if fascinated by the new development.
As the humanoid monster moved forward, it became evident it was dragging something along as well—the sound of rusted chains rattling with every muddied step was unmistakable to anyone who dared to witness it all.
Illuminated by the vibrance of the sword protruding from its back was the child in question—his legs bound tightly in metal as he struggled to free himself from the monster’s control. His hands would desperately dig into the soil, trying anything he could to stop the foul creature. Each attempt was less successful than the one before it—despair and exhaustion came hand in hand.
“Stop! Just stop!” The child yelled and yelled and yelled. . . None of its pleas ever did anything, as if the mindless thing of darkness couldn’t even hear them.
But then, the unexpected happened.
For but a slight second, the mindless monster paused, as if noticing something. The child it was dragging looked up in shock, his expression full of hope. He had assumed it was due to his pleas finally registering, but the true answer revealed itself only a moment later.
Piercing through the fog, an illusory, almost see-through sword shot forward through the air, heading straight for the shadow creature’s head faster than thunder. Its instincts immediately kicked in, driving it to twist its body sideways to dodge.
Before the child could even blink, the sword had already passed by, phasing through the thick, shadowy mist behind them. It was only then that he realized what had occurred—an enemy of the humanoid shadow husk had appeared!
The creature also understood this. Not willing to hesitate for another second, it let go of the chain it used to drag the child and reached for the radiant sword’s pummel. Flesh and guts splattered everywhere as it swiftly pulled out the blade from its own chest cavity.
After staggering for a bit, the shadowed creature finally found its footing again. It took on a battle stance with the shining white sword guarding its front. Although it possessed no eyes, the shadows that made up its form seemed to twist and vibrate, like a predator honing some mysterious sixth sense.
Soon, another barrage of translucent swords arrived. This time, the strange monster was much more prepared. It parried each of them skillfully before finally emitting an arc of pure white light aimed in the direction of the attacks. The creature then lowered its back, as if readying for a sprint and shot forward, leaving an afterimage in its wake. The target it hungered to slice apart had finally been located.
As it pierced through the dark mist, the shadow creature pulled back the two handed sword of light over its shoulder, anticipating the moment of its prey’s demise. But what awaited it was not anything it desired.
A reflection. . . of itself?
The creature paused for less than a second in utter bewilderment—the blade it had planned to strike with pulling back as well. In the distance, another version of itself could be seen. The cloned apparition was performing the very same sequence of movements it had coldly executed just moments prior.
The creature watched hesitantly—the sword of light danced, attempting to parry three incoming attacks which was then followed by a final slash that shot out an arc of light. Except this time. . . the direction of the luminous strike was aimed toward him!
With no other choice, the creature hurriedly moved into a defensive stance, bracing for impact. But then, something strange occurred.
The attack. . . It couldn’t feel its weight at all. . .
The arc of light vanished the moment it met the luminous sword. Before it, the reflection of itself disappeared as well, as if it was all a dream.
But just as it was about to collect its thoughts, the creature sensed something from its right. Without hesitating, it twisted its shadowed body and threw out another sword slash. As it cut through the darkened fog, the creature noticed the reflection of itself again, slouching awkwardly in the distance. This time, it was holding the same defensive stance it had used moments prior.
Beneath the veneer of darkness, the creature couldn’t help but grin. It dashed forward, racing against its own arc of light. Even if the reflection deflected the incoming sword strike, it would soon be met by an even more vicious blow.
But that was when the creature’s fate finally became sealed.
Just as its sword slash reached the reflection, the illusive copy erased itself once again! And behind it, a new cloned apparition appeared—this time holding the same attack stance the humanoid shadow currently held. It dashed forward, racing against its own arc of light just like the creature!
Before the creature could react, the two arcs of light crashed against each other. In an instant, a flash of light followed by an explosion pierced through the fog’s treacherous suppression.
“I’m surprised you fell for a trick this simple.”
Clinging to its last strands of consciousness, the humanoid shadow and its reflection both emerged from the cloud of dust and ash—their pitiful forms twisted beyond recognition with their swords stabbed into each other. It glanced around its surroundings, holding tightly to the luminous blade’s pummel, unwilling to pull it out of its own inverted clone which also did the same.
Step after step echoed from nearby, prompting the two shadows to shift toward the illusive source. It didn’t take long for them to glimpse at their audacious expression.
A young man adorned in white burial robes emerged from the mist—his hands clinging tightly to a glowing book, as if it were a bible. His bright amber eyes danced like flames, caging the madness within.
After putting his wand away, the young man methodically dusted his loose robes and sighed. “But then again, I did create this strategy after analyzing your behaviors for so long. . . I can’t really blame you.”
He slid a hand through his chestnut-colored hair, watching the strange shadow try to move its body in hopes of attacking him. Next to it, the reflection he had created also did the same.
“I’m saved! Thanks a lot mister!” The child’s voice reached from a distance—hope mixed with relief echoed in each syllable. “Please unbind me! The chains are hurting my feet.”
The Traveler’s eyes trailed toward the stifled voice, scrutinizing every detail.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Kerill! My name is Kerill. . . Thank the Heavenly Loop—I never thought I would be blessed with a savior!”
The Traveler didn’t say anything. He simply watched the child’s desperate prayer—no emotion leaking from his expression.
“Kind sir? What’s wrong? Could you please save me from these shackles. . .”
No response again. The child couldn’t help but stare back into those butterfly-filled eyes—his confusion slowly drifting into fear.
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Eventually, though, the Traveler spoke once again—this time into the dark mist shifting behind him:
“Aelyne. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Confused, the child simply stood still, unsure how to react. Behind the young man, the shadowed mist churned slightly, as if responding to his call:
“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that? My name is Ynixia, not Aelyne!”
Hearing this, Soren simply shook his head and sighed. “Just hurry up and handle it. We only have three hours before the shadowed eyes start to close.”
“Alright, alright!” The annoyance in her tone was palpable. It was only a few moments later that the child finally grasped who the young man was speaking to.
Emerging from the mist behind him, was a colossal dark figure, shrouded in even more shadows than the creature that chained his legs. Fear had frozen the child’s eyes open as he beheld its every detail:
Pitch-black bones strung together haphazardly—an amalgamation of countless skeletal creatures that had been twisted into something beyond abnormal. There were bones belonging to winged beasts, wolves, bears, and even a dragon’s tail.
Although its entire body was covered in dark mist, the humanoid skull at the front could not be concealed. It stared surgically at the young boy with its pure white eyes—each crying tears of darkness that dripped toward its open jaw.
“Sit, Albert!” The voice of a young girl once again echoed throughout the surrounding mist. Hearing the order, the four-legged skeletal beast lowered itself slowly. Throughout it all, the young man standing beside the shadowed monstrosity kept his expression neutral, arms crossed casually.
It was only then that the child realized what rested above the massive dark skeleton. Trepidation and confusion mixed in his stomach.
“A. . . coffin?”
“Correct, young one.” The girlish voice said coolly. “Do not worry, I shall help you in remembering.”
The words she used made him shudder for some reason. “What do you mean you’ll help me remember? Remember what?
“Could you please free me from my shackles first!” The desperation in his voice was growing even louder.
Ynixia sighed then answered. “I will help you remember your own passing.”
“Passing?” He chuckled. “Is this a joke?”
“It is not, Kerill. You will remember everything in just a moment. Please do not resist.”
“I am not!” He shouted, “I am not dead! What are you saying! Why would I remember my own passing?!”
“You’re not dead?” For the first time, the young man showed emotions at Kerill’s proclamation. He chuckled softly—his lips twisting into a crazy smile. “Well, can you explain what color your hair is?”
“My. . . hair?” The child tilted his neck slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Try it,” the Traveler teased. “Try to remember your eyes, your nose, your lips. . . Try to remember your face and what it looks like.”
The young child paused, staring at the young man in confusion. “I. . . I can’t. . .
“Why can’t I remember. . . ?”
Suddenly, a new figure emerged before him after blinking his eyes. He was instantly startled.
“This. . .”
Standing before Kerill was a clone of himself. A child only a foot taller than a dinner table. However, what drew his attention was the reflection’s face.
No. . . It would be better to say there wasn’t one at all. He stared blankly at where his eyes, nose, and lips should be, only to find a smooth layer of skin. There was nothing. Nothing at all!
“This is you,” Soren replied with a sinister grin. The child couldn’t help but stare at his own reflection in silence, unable to form a single coherent thought.
“To use that new spell of yours in such a way. . . You really are demented.” The voice reverberated through the dark mist.
Soren clicked his tongue. “It's much faster than your method. Like I said, we don’t have much time.”
Eventually, the child awoke from his stupor and lashed out. “You’re lying! What you’re showing me must be fake—why are you trying to trick me, mister?!”
“Prismatic Reflection doesn’t lie, brat.”
“B-but. . .”
“No buts. This is you. Now accept this reality and remember your passing.” As he said this, the strange reflection mirrored Kirell’s apprehension, huddling before him in a similar way.
“You don’t have to be afraid.” Ynixia said with a sigh. “I will help you. Please believe me.”
The silence was suffocating. No one spoke for a while as they all stood there, awaiting the child’s answer. Just as Soren was about to lose his patience, he finally heard the words he was awaiting:
“Alright. I will trust you.”
The Traveler grinned, turning toward Albert. “You heard him, right? Eat his shadow.”
Ynixia agreed. “Do it, Albert.”
Hearing the order, the colossal skeletal beast stirred once more, moving one quiet step after the next toward the humanoid shadow clinging to life. It lifted it up easily, crushing it beneath its palms as it drew it closer toward its mouth.
Kirell watched in fear as the humanoid shadow struggled under the overwhelming strength of the dark monstrosity. But in the end, it was too late. Nothing was left of it after it was devoured.
“Wh—”
“Congratulations.” Soren bowed gracefully in the child’s direction. “You’ve remembered who you were now, right?”
Kirell stared deeply into his own reflection, watching as it twisted and morphed before him. Slender blue eyes, raven-black hair, and a smile he could recognize all manifested one by one—a mosaic of forgotten features returning to their rightful place.
He held tightly to his cheeks, tears streaming down his face. “I see, I remember now. . . I remember everything.”
“Indeed,” Ynixia replied—her tone full of sorrow and pity. “Evereything has returned.”
“Yes! I remember it all. I passed away while playing with Emi and Leah! They were. . .” His smile softened as he shook his head. “No, it doesn’t matter.” He turned toward the Traveler and chuckled:
“So you’re just like me. You too have been forsaken.”
Soren clicked his tongue. “Yeah, but I am not dead like you are, brat.”
“I see. . .” The child laughed. “I wish you luck, Mister.”
As he said this, Kirell’s body began to wither, as if it were made of sand blown by an invisible breeze. “Farewell and thank you, dear Shepherd.”
“Goodbye,” Ynixia replied. They watched as his final fragments scattered across Carcosa’s ancient lands. All that remained of him was a mask, detailed with his exact facial features. Kirell’s final expression was etched into it, as Soren stared silently into his eyes.
With a sigh, he stepped forward and picked up the strange skin mask, letting the two reflections he had created shatter into glass.
“How many of these have we collected by now?” He whispered softly.
“Four hundred and sixty three.” Ynixia answered rather casually. “I am not surprised—we’ve been doing this for months now, after all.”
“Indeed. . .”
Their journey together so far could be described as anything but simple. Just crossing the Outer Boundary, as Aelyne likes to call it, almost caused their demise numerous times. Even Albert back then was relatively smaller compared to now—the amount of shadows he had consumed had certainly made him stronger. . . and larger in size.
Carcosa. . . Whatever this world was that Guntharion had sent him to was far too dangerous for a magi of his caliber. But then again, what else would he expect from such a selfish bastard? He was certain that the girl inside that coffin was likely His daughter—He did wish for him to save her, after all. Although. . . his perspective on the matter has somewhat shifted as of late. For whatever reason, the girl herself doesn’t even seem to remember who Guntharion was.
He no longer knew what the truth really was. . .
The silence carried on for a few moments until he sighed. “Let’s hurry up and go. We still have a few more in this area we have to clear. We can’t rest until then. When do you think we’ll reach Hyades Castle?”
The girl slumbering within the coffin replied hesitantly. “Probably another month?”
Her words made him stumble. He couldn’t help but pause.
“Soren?” Ynixia’s voice trailed as she ordered Albert to stop as well. The Traveler, however, didn’t answer. He simply glanced up at the shadowy eyes watching him from above. They continued to blink in silence, as if awaiting the arrival of something.
Seeing this, Soren smiled cynically. “Aelyne, I think I might have lied to that kid.”
“Ynixia, not Aelyne!” She tried to correct him, but he simply ignored her and continued:
“Perhaps I too have passed away without knowing it.”