CHAPTER 72 - HIGHER LEVEL OF POWER
MORDAIN POV:
It was wrong.
Everything that Rinia told me was the opposite. Her visions were not on point, they were all different from what is happening right now. The boy, Luke Hodges, had left the academy and is nowhere to be found in this continent.
Countless beings have searched everywhere, the surface, the cities, and even the dungeons.
Something was not right…
It had been a week since the boy disappeared.
My eyes shifted from the older elf that was in front of me to the phoenix right next to her. It had been a while since I had seen Dawn, but most importantly, out of nowhere. She just appeared walking through the lower levels, searching for something… or someone.
I let out a sigh of defeat, if I were honest, I was confused on what the true matter was now. "Tell me Rinia, what have you seen now? More so, does he appear?"
The old elf's facial expression was dire and pale but mostly that only meant one thing. It was the same answer ever since Lady Dawn had arrived at this place, through a portal like she had said.
I trust her words, but the question still remains. Who gave the King's Shadow a portal device?
"I keep having these dreams, of someone struggling to be sane, almost like they are losing themselves." Rinia said, "Other than that person, there is nothing. I'm sorry."
I lifted my hand. "Don't be. You are trying your best and that is enough." I changed my vision towards the fellow Phoenix. "Now, Lady Dawn, are you sure that the boy said to Disconnect the portal after you arrived here?"
The red haired mother only nodded, agreeing to my words. It was just to make sure that it wasn't just something I had heard wrong.
As I began to wonder about the true intentions of the boy, I heard flapping from the entrance tunnel. A greenish owl with bushy brows and a small white horn flew next to the woman in front of me.
"Mordain. I am sorry for the sudden appearance but my bond is asking if the boy is back." Avier spoke in his usual tone before giving an eye to Lady Dawn. He hid his astonishment and surprised expressions well but deep down I knew he was happy to see her alive and well.
Shaking my head just as an answer. Avier nodded, understanding what was going on.
"Currently, we don't know where the shadow is, whether alive or dead, nothing is confirmed yet. Now all we can do is wait–"
"Elder Mordain! I have urgent news! The Portal that is below this room has been activated one-sidedly."
My eyes widened. "That is impossible–"
Then, before I could finish my words, I felt an alien presence come from below where the portal was. Something had exited the portal and now was here. We were in danger. This mana signature was different from the others here present but not indifferent from the people that inherit the artifact of the Indrath.
This is bad. If one of the Indrath finds this place, we could be labeled as traitors.
"Chul!" I yelled for the young one who carries courage and strength. Chul nodded and headed towards the anomaly. "Everyone else that can fight, go with Chul. The rest hide, we don't know if they are Indraths or not."
Quickly everyone followed my order, not because I was the one who proposed the idea of leaving Epheotus but because it was for their own good.
Rinia and Lady Dawn were the only ones who stood in their spots. There was no nervousness in them, no startledness or anything in that nature.
I walked towards them with a sense of rush and they noticed but were not bothered by it. My hand extended towards them, "Rinia, Dawn, let us be on our way. Whatever battle is going to happen, we don't want to be involved in it."
"I-I just got a vision, we are going to be okay." Rinia spoke, her multi-colored eyes showing a hint of hope and relief.
The fiery orange-eyed woman spoke as well, "I have sensed this presence before."
Just seeing them calm and composed, made me confused. "Who is this person? An Asura? An Alacryan?"
Both the elf and the phoenix looked past me.
"Quite the warm welcome after being away for so long."
LUKE HODGES
"Tell us Luke, what happened? How did you get Lady Dawn out?"
"Where have you been this whole week?"
Multiple questions bombarded me and I had only arrived like an hour ago. I hadn't washed myself, or eaten anything, much less gotten some rest.
"Look everyone I am tired, if you have any questions please hold them off for right now. All I am trying to do is recover some strength before I continue moving." I clearly said to everyone who was surrounding me like a flock of moths to a flame.
Truth to be told, I just wanted to relax a little bit. Not only that but my armor seems to be damaged from my battle with the Scythe and the many others that came after.
Especially after what happened there…
***
After some time of no battle, I was able to rest and feed myself. Well not entirely but you get the geist. I had gotten some clean clothes as well, and truth to be told, it really grew on me even though it was flashy.
My armor was damaged but not entirely. It could still withstand some more attacks but I am not sure how many more. Still it is good that I have it equipped to the minimum, to only cover the important parts like my chest. The layer on top of the armor was a thin but well put cloth, perhaps this was suited for battle but was never said. The color of the clothes was unique, a two-colored two piece, white on top and faded black on the bottom.
It reminded me of those battle clothes the Chinese officers would wear during the Han era.
Now then lets go and see what I missed.
I left the room I was provided here in Hearths, though I thought it was going to be a little bit smaller, there is always the way Aether is used here. It was affecting the space that was here originally and transformed it to something more spacious.
Also, I can feel the Aether, it was something I was ignoring all this time. Perhaps I was trying to ignore it but now that I was told what I potentially knew, there is no letting it go.
I had full control of Aether but so of mana.
I can fully use the potential that Arthur Leywin, the protagonist of this novel couldn't, not fully at least. However, I can use both, mixed, separately, or just one.
Now I just wanted to prepare for anything that I was not able to see.
And if I was correct, Alea was supposed to…
My mind went blank and into an emotion of pure rage.
Alea was probably in the dungeon by now, perhaps her battle was now.
I wanted to activate [Tachyon] but I knew the Lances would trace my mana signature as an anomaly. Not only that but I don't think Mordain or Rinia would let me do something that will affect the path of the future.
Nevertheless, I continued to walk. Whatever the people of Hearths said or did didn't fully register in my mind. The only thing I had going from corner to corner was the safety of Alea. I had promised to myself that I was going to save Alea whether that meant making an enemy of the Lances or the Asuras themselves, or perhaps even the being named Fate.
"I see you are an awake boy, though it has been only a couple of hours meant for rest. I'm sure your human body is still tired of wherever you've been." Spoke a green looking owl. Its giant eyes staring at me with intent of nothing ever before that I've faced. "In any case, I've come for you. My bond, Cynthia Goodsky, is worried about you and needs you back."
"I will take your word, but how can I get there fast? It would take days–"
The small owl had turned into a bigger owl, something similar to Professor Glory's bond eagle. But Avier was bigger than what I had imagined in the novel.
"Hurry boy."
With a simple confirmation, I got onto the green owl of terror.
His footsteps sounded like that of Scythe Dragoth when he was a giant. However, this time it wasn't the sounds that were set to kill me but to take me to Xyrus city.
Alea, Aya, everyone. Please be okay.
My worries began to expand, after Avier had told me that I was gone for a week. That meant many things might have happened… many events passed by… many people who died because I was in Alacrya looking for the Ruins that Sylvia had told to Arthur when he broke his mana core.
The relics that Arthur is set to find, I was going to obtain them and kill every single one of these Alacryans.
After all, I was now at a higher level of power…