The Wandering Fairy

Chapter 284: The Death Gate

Chapter 284: The Death GateThe mist churned with distant howls, drawing closer no matter how fast they ran. Standing atop a giant skeletal beast, Soren’s frown continued to grow as he sent invisible sword after invisible sword into the shadows, helpless to stop the approaching horde.

“Damn it! Didn’t you tell me the bait would work?! Why are there so many of them!”

Ynixia replied promptly. “It definitely worked! We would have been doomed by now if it didn’t!”

He grit his teeth. So it's simply a matter of numbers. . . We underestimated how massive the nest was!

According to Ynixia’s dream, the strange nest of spider-like living shadows were all connected to the Hyades people who resided here. However, they became aware that these fragmented inhabitants were unlike the ones they saw at the funeral pyre. They couldn’t find any trace of them at all!

Ynixia suspected that they were likely somewhere inside Hyades Castle—completely separated from their own living shadows. And since these entities could only be consumed by others just like them, the pair of travelers had no choice but to run for their lives!

Just as Soren was about to ponder over their next steps, [Hymns of the Unseen] suddenly warned of movement from his right. He quickly twisted his body on instinct, watching as one of the strange creatures jumped out of the mist with all its arms ready to strangle him. Luckily, he was a second quicker—with the monster passing by, he swung the Fairy Blade in his hand with all his might, splitting it in half.

“Tsk. . .” Before it could regenerate its body, Soren kicked it off Albert’s back. Only after it vanished into the mist did he slightly relax.

But even that turned out to be a mistake.

The very second he disposed of it, two more shadows appeared—this time possessing a glowing white orb in each of their chests. His frown twisted, enveloped in fear.

“Shit—”

An explosion of light erupted mere inches away from his face—strong enough to erase the surrounding darkness, sending him flying off Albert’s back. The only thing that embraced him was the sea of dark mist that did little to cushion his landing.

Ugh. . . Soren hurried to stand up, quickly brushing away the pain. He was thankful to even be alive—if not for his quick reaction speed, he would not have been able to activate Fairy Barrier around himself and Ynixia’s coffin quickly enough.

Glancing around, he clicked his tongue as he heard the approaching howls of more living shadows. It was hard to tell how distant he was from Albert, but he knew he couldn’t be that far.

So be it. Soren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He decided to hone his focus solely onto [Hymns of the Unseen]. It was hard to describe, but using [Eyes of the Fairy] in Carcosa felt akin to a man trying to run a marathon underwater. Obtaining information from the ‘Beyond’ while being clouded by the dark mist was truly a herculean task—one that demanded more of his mental strength than it ever did back in Yarian.

In comparison, [Hymns of the Unseen] was more akin to swimming underwater. Although it was still rather difficult to hear anything approaching, it was still a hundred times easier compared to [Eyes of the Fairy]. Moreover, it required less anima to utilize, making it ideal for emergency situations like this.

Stretching his Soul Realm a bit further into the surrounding darkness, Soren began casting Prismatic Reflection. Soon, a palm-sized crystalized icosahedron formed above his hand.

Then, while gripping tightly to the wand in his other hand, Soren cast Fairy Blades. But rather than let it manifest independently, he instead made it form around the Minor Silverlight Spire itself, adding an invisible edge to the spellfocus. This technique was only now possible due to Fairy Blades ascending into a 2nd Circle magecraft spell.

With the half-sword half-wand firmly secured, Soren watched the mist before him churn, waiting patiently for the first of the monsters to arrive. It didn’t take long for his wish to come true.

While gritting his teeth, he watched as the creature jumped out of the mist ready to pounce with its limbs spread wide open. But he had anticipated such a move—[Hymns of the Unseen] already warned him of its arrival. He pointed the illusory sword wand from the approaching monster’s direction, watching it jump into its own demise. Soon, the living shadow was cut instantly in half—its hollow eyes still full of hunger and desire.

Then, the levitating icosahedron he created began to glow in a slew of colors. Before long, a mirrored version of the same creature manifested—its glowing white orb pulsing at its chest ready to explode.

Soren pointed ahead, commanding the reflection to jump into the mist from where it came. Only a second later, he was able to see the explosion illuminating the mist in the distance. No doubt, many of its brethren had perished in that attack.

This. . . This was the power of Mesmerism.

Belief was at the core of each spell. As long as Soren himself believed the reflection to be real, then its actions would immediately mirror the essence of whatever it was deciding to mimic. Since this time it was mirroring the Burst Shades as Ynixia likes to call them, the reflection would also gain the ability to explode.

Of course, he could also use this as a distraction. If the reflection remained nothing more than an illusion, the enemy would lower their guard, not anticipating that the next reflection could in fact deal real damage.

Again and again, Soren repeated the same strategy. At times, he would use Violet Mirage to reposition himself within the mist, fooling the horde into thinking he was somewhere else. There was also his new application of Fairy Barrier which was able to shield him from the explosion last time.

Just like Fairy Blades, Soren was able to upgrade this spellform, allowing it to reach the 2nd Circle. The new rune he had created last time was used as well, since both of the spells possessed similar origins to begin with.

The spell’s upgrade allowed Soren to control how Fairy Barrier was deployed. Unlike before, he no longer needed to manifest the entire bubble around him—the barrier would instead manifest through the triangular structure ordained through the Regeis rune. This allowed for greater versatility and anima conservation. He could also concentrate on defending one area more actively compared to others if he knew where the danger was coming from. Not to mention, their strength itself had increased significantly as well.

But despite all of this, his anima was still being depleted rapidly. The horde felt unending. . .

Every slash was becoming more difficult to swing than the last. Above him, Fairy Blades were crystalizing and being sent out into the mist, only for them to shatter after killing a few shadows. But with each one slain, three more would arrive. . . Exhaustion was becoming inevitable.

If only I had spell that could inflict damage to multiple targets at once. . . Although the Prismatic Reflection’s ability to mimic the Burst Shade’s explosions was useful, it still demanded careful control. He had to make sure that the living shadow he was selecting had that property to begin with—not all of them possessed. And, he needed to utilize their reflections only after slaying them, since they would simply explode and damage him before he would have the opportunity to do the same to them.

There was also the fact that the shadows themselves were immortal. Unless a different shadow was there to consume them, they would simply reform after a few minutes and begin threatening him again.

This can’t go on. . . He knew time was running out.

Eventually, he would be overwhelmed, leaving him with no way to resist their onslaught. And even if Albert arrived, Ynixia had already explained that he was unlike the other shadows—he cannot consume his brethren unless their fragmented inhabitants consented to it. It was a strange restriction that he still didn’t really understand.

Their only salvation was Hyades Castle. The gate, as Ynixia had explained, has the ability to repel them. As long as they could enter inside, they would finally be met with safety.

But how. . . How will he be able to get there if he cannot even see where he was currently? There was no telling how far they still were from the gate. . .

Suddenly, another Burst Shade approached his leg from behind without him noticing. He fell to the ground in pain, watching the strange creature gnaw at his thigh.

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Gritting his teeth, Soren thrust his wand enhanced by the Fairy Blade into it, cutting it in half. But before he could stand, two more shadows arrived.

“Fairy Barrier!” The bubble formed around him, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Using the few seconds before the barrier would crack, Soren activated Violet Mirage, hoping to distract them with an illusion of himself.

But even that seemed useless in the end. . .

The living shadows seemed to have adapted to his magecraft. Even though he was able to escape the predicament, a few of them quickly saw through the trick and began chasing after him again.

Shit. This really isn’t good. . .

When was the last time he faced death in this manner? Was it before his arrival in this world—during the clash of the Gods in the Cathedral of Aeons? Or maybe it was during the first few weeks of his travels, before Ynixia could even summon Albert? . . .

Soren couldn’t remember.

The months he had spent in this world had all blended together, making it hard for him to recall anything.

Now that I think about it, is it really worth it to survive for a bit longer? Since his arrival in Carcosa, all his goals seemed to have faded away. He felt like a wandering ghost, aimless in his travels.

As he had said before to Ynixia, taking on this quest had been nothing more than a whim to him from the start. Although his mind was telling him to end it all, his body for whatever reason continued its stride.

Unwilling to be forgotten. Unwilling to die. . .

Feeling a jolt of pain from his bleeding leg, Soren staggered for a second, allowing the creatures to catch up to him. He stared blankly at them for a second, picturing the end of his life once and for all.

. . . Only for his body to act on its own again, racing to activate Fairy Barrier to shield him from the attack.

But just as his instincts were about to win over, a flash of light from above shattered his focus. His eyes widened as the strange beam of light shot forward into the mist, eviscerating anything in its way.

“What the. . .” He could only witness the carnage in total silence. The horde of creatures instantly turned into ash before his very eyes.

“Did you really think I would let you die?” The familiar voice reached him from the surrounding darkness. “You don’t have permission to! Your duty as a knight has yet to end!”

Turning around, he saw a colossal skeletal creature arriving from beyond the dark mist. Albert’s massive body was covered in cracks and fractures—all of them mended by the shadows Ynixia commanded. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel that the shadowed chimera would crumble at any second. . .

Soren chuckled then shook his head. “Took you long enough.” He commanded the Fairy Blade attached to his wand to hover higher, carrying him with it towards Albert’s back.

“Just be grateful I am here to save you!” The annoyance in her voice couldn’t be underestimated.

“How far are we. . . from Hyades Castle?” He landed before the coffin and began taking note of the damage.

She went silent for a moment then sighed. Before her answer was heard, Albert opened his colossal jaw, letting out a massive blast of focused white and black light into the distant mist. More of the approaching creatures met their demise in mere seconds.

This was an attack he never expected Albert to possess.

“Very far,” she said rather frankly. “But it seems that whatever is in that dark lake has also chased after the horde that is now chasing after us. So I expect that they will likely begin to fight each other again soon enough.”

The shadowy lake. . . He instantly remembered the woman burning at the funeral pyre. His frown grew immensely.

“Lets hurry then. I am close to running out of anima.” It couldn’t be underscored how severely exhausted he was currently. Perhaps only the pain had managed to keep him awake for so long.

Soren no longer knew how many hours had passed since their last dangerous encounter with the Bursting Shades. Time itself seemed to forget its own existence within this shadowed wasteland. But despite this, Albert continued to limp forward through Carcosa’s dark soil, not resting for even a second.

Their destination. . . they were sure it was now close. He had confirmed it through [Eyes of the Fairy], despite the mental strain it brought him.

Standing above Albert’s back, Soren vigilantly watched the swarm chasing them. He had to make sure another one of those Bursting Shades couldn’t make it close. With [Hymns of the Unseen] actively monitoring the surroundings, he was sure not to make the same mistake again.

However, a few stranglers would still end up reaching them in the end. They would use their extra limbs to climb Albert discretely before pouncing on him without his awareness. Luckily, they were not the exploding type, making the danger relatively small.

According to his observations, the Bursting Shades seemed to come in two different flavors. There were the ones that possessed the strange glowing white orbs that Soren was monitoring with [Hymns of the Unseen], and then there were the ones who didn’t possess them, opting to simply bite through their enemies with their sharp teeth.

Neither enemy could outright kill him in the literal sense—the shadows of Carcosa could only make you forget things with every wound they inflict until you finally forget your own existence and disappear completely into the mist. However, the pain he would feel was still real.

That was why although he was severely wounded, Soren’s memories were not really impacted all that much. With Biblion’s connection, Soren could make sure to keep them stored safely no matter how many of them he lost. As long as he could eventually heal his wounds, the threat would cease completely.

But despite this. . . the Traveler still possessed limits. If he ran out of anima and passed out, there would be nothing Biblion could do to save him. And at the moment, his current exhaustion meant he was on the brink of collapse. It was a miracle he continued to stay awake for so long to begin with.

Not to mention, his white funeral robes that were once pristine were now drenched in blood, ash, and dust. Bite marks covered every section of his skin. Even his butterfly filled eyes had dulled in color—the flames of madness within were on the blink of dying completely.

“Hold on for a bit longer!” Ynixia’s booming voice caused him to awaken slightly. Gritting his teeth, Soren slapped himself to regain some focus.

“We’re almost there!” She said in panic. But he was certain even she wasn’t believing her own words by now. Though, it didn’t really matter—his mystic eyes were telling him she was right.

Hyades Castle was only a few hundred meters away. . .

Soren glanced ahead, noticing the outline of something colossal through the mist. An arch so massive, it was difficult to see it all without tilting his neck upwards.

“The Death Gate!” His eyes widened hearing her proclamation. He felt as though he had reached the end of a long tunnel.

But before they could celebrate, two more shadow creatures jumped out of the mist toward him. Soren, however, had always been ready for their arrival.

Above him, the crystal icosahedron was glowing rapidly—Prismatic Reflection had already anticipated their arrival and created reflections for them! They were going to fight fire with fire—explosion against explosion! A final blast that could propel them further toward their destination!

With the last of his anima, Soren created a Fairy Barrier large enough to shield Albert’s entire body. The explosions that rang outside instantly cracked his final act of defense, sending shockwaves jolting through their bones.

Soren clung to Ynixia’s coffin as they tumbled to the ground from the blast. With his head spinning, he glanced up to see the massive structure standing proudly before them. They had indeed finally made it.

Strange runes were engraved into lines that stretched from the top to the bottom of the arch—every few words ended in a strange hole that seemed to lead into the castle.

He watched the mysterious gate for a few seconds in silence, only to have his thoughts interrupted by Ynixia who was still resting within the coffin:

“I am the Lady in Pale! Open the gates immediately!”

. . . Silence was all they heard. Behind Albert’s collapsed body, the distant howls of the last few remaining shadows were approaching. Even after everything, they still couldn’t fully escape the horde.

Soren clicked his tongue and took a step forward, leaving the coffin behind.

“Where. . . Where are you going?!”

“Where else, idiot. To fight them of course.”

“Stop!” She yelled at him in desperation, but there was no use. Soren had already made up his mind. He was going to use up everything he had in order to survive for as long as possible.

Seeing this, Ynixia desperately cried out again to the castle gate:

“Open! Please open!”

She was once again met with silence.

“Open! May the Black Stars be my witness. I have arrived for the banquet!”

This time, there was a slight vibration. Soren paused, turning his neck back to see what had happened.

The gate. . . It was opening? . .

The loud sound of stone grinding against stone reverberated across the colossal hall. Soon, the two gates began to shift ever so slightly, creating a massive gap in between. Dark mist bled through the colossal wound.

Mist that seemed to welcome them. . .