In front of him was a rune barrier that was coming apart, slowly revealing the two carriages and the figure of a person who was about to fall down.
"Elaine!" he thought to himself, quickly appearing in front of her. He caught her before she hit the ground.
"My lord, I-" Finn cut her off.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that?" Elaine didn't speak as she looked away from his soft gaze as she continued.
"Finn... that bastard Zudra was working for the enemy. He poisoned me and tried to go after the boys. But the poison he used was meant for Soul Sprout Konquerors. Unbeknownst to him, I'm at the Soul Sappling stage, so I was able to suppress the poison and attack him when he least expected."
"The explosion, it was a soul bomb, wasn't it?"
Elaine nodded as she thought about how her rune barrier wasn't able to hold.
"Your rune barrier looked different. Did you make another breakthrough in your rune studies?"
Finn asked, recalling the massive purple chains that were wrapped around the barrier as it fell apart. Elaine nodded as she too had no idea what happened or where that burst of mana came from.
"You have grown stronger yet again."
"Yeah."
As they were staring into each other's eyes, the door to one of the carriages opened, revealing a frightened Ver.
"By the gods..." her voice was filled with shock.
She placed a hand over her mouth, holding herself back from screaming.
"You! You will speak nothing of this. Get back inside; we will be leaving shortly."
Finn pointed at Ver, who quickly nodded and went back inside the carriage quickly.
"I don't like how you treat her."
"I'm only trying to toughen her up. You know how the capital is like to women, especially small fragile little girls."
Elaine nodded as she understood his reasoning.
"I'll be the coachman; you go ahead and ride with the kids."
"But your mana is exhau- okay okay, I'll ride with the kids."
Finn quickly corrected himself as Elaine shot him a look.
An hour later, the carriage was moving at a steady pace as they made their way to the capital. Timothy, who was sleeping on the carriage floor, kept tossing and groaning, but he didn't wake up. Jake looked at him worriedly, but Finn had told them not to wake him.
"Dreams are not just dreams; always remember that."
These were Finn's words to them, so they simply watched as he kept turning and tossing.
Timothy dreamt of darkness.
Pure darkness surrounded him, standing on solid ground. He didn't try to look for a way out as he didn't know where he was.
"The only thing I would truly need right now would be some goddamn light."
Immediately after saying that, the whole place lit up with two different lights, one blue and the other red.
"What the!"
The words got stuck in his mouth as he looked at the huge staircase in front of him. He couldn't see what was at the top. The staircase looked like it was made of dark matter, and each stair had a rune on it. He looked around, and this whole place was empty, with only the platform he was standing on and the staircase that led to no one knows.
"Father did say something about these symbols; he called them runes. The language of the universe."
Timothy looked at the platform he was standing on, and it had a set of runes on it. The more he looked at this set of runes, the more he could understand it.
"Forgotten lands."
That is what the set of runes on the platform meant. Timothy tried reading the runes on the stairs, but he didn't understand them.
"It seems like I can only understand these ones."
Timothy spoke as he decided to walk up the stairs. But immediately when his foot touched the first stair, he disappeared from the staircase.
"This has to stop happening to me!"
Timothy screamed as he picked himself off the ground.
"What in the!"
Timothy started running as he saw a huge airship flying towards him. He quickly ran into the forest not so far away from where he was. The warship left after some time as they lost him under the cover of the tall trees. Timothy heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the warship leave.
"What is happening to meeeeee!... holy shit!!!"
Timothy exclaimed after noticing the clothes he was wearing. Timothy removed the combat gloves he was wearing and took a look at his hands.
"Okay, this must be one crazy dream! Haha, yes, why didn't I think of that."
He laughed like a maniac before raising his hands to look at them again. His eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing, but everything around him indicated that this was not a dream. Timothy took in a deep breath of air, and the scent of the forest filled his nostrils.
"Pale white skin, huh? I guess I must be really going insane. Where the hell am I? What is this place? I have never seen trees as huge as these ones." Timothy pondered, casting a bewildered gaze around him.
He wandered through the colossal trees, their branches intertwined like ancient guardians. The air was thick with an otherworldly essence, and the silence was profound, broken only by the rustling leaves. As Timothy explored this mysterious realm, he stumbled upon a beautiful pool that reflected the surrounding trees.
Curiosity overcame him, and he approached the pool. As he gazed into the shimmering waters, his own reflection seemed distorted, taking on an ethereal quality. Suddenly, the surface of the pool rippled, revealing a fleeting image of a hooded figure. Timothy's heart raced as the figure spoke with a voice that resonated through the mystical surroundings.
"Timothy Mí'tûr , seeker of forgotten lands, the path ahead is veiled in uncertainty. Embrace the essence of the runes to unravel the tapestry of destiny."
Before Timothy could understand the mysterious message, the vision cleared, leaving him alone by the beautiful pool.
Timothy adorned a sleek black convertible hooded steampunk coat jacket, paired with leather pants and sturdy boots. Two concealed daggers nestled in his sleeves, and a short blade hung at his waist.
"Ah, what am I wearing? Ohh these right here look exquisite," he mused, examining the gem-embedded handles of the daggers. A swift slash confirmed their perfect balance. "Jake would surely appreciate these."
Timothy thought as he put the daggers away and began looking around. The trees were very tall, making him feel like an ant in comparison. The cool wind swept across his face, making the falling leaves dance around him. In the distance, he could hear birds chirping, branches creaking, and hooves shuffling through the detritus. The sky was gloomy, as though it were strangely aligned with Timothy's feelings.
"Sigh* I can't stay here forever."
Timothy began following the path he took when he entered the forest. As he navigated his way out, it began to rain, but Timothy simply didn't care as he tried to make sense of what led him to arrive here.
"That bloody staircase," Timothy thought to himself.
After a few minutes of walking, he was finally out of the forest. He walked towards the city he could see from a distance, and when he arrived, he was slightly shocked. The city was desolate, with crumbling buildings and empty streets.
"This place looks empty on the outside, but I can see and hear some movements in these ruined buildings," Timothy thought as he made his way into the city quietly. The movements in the buildings didn't go unnoticed by him. The corroded metal on the old buildings reflected the years of neglect they had suffered. The rain kept pouring, and as he got to the center of the city, he could feel that he was surrounded from all angles.
"Ugh, what do I have to lose?" Timothy thought before sitting down on a pile of rubble.
The movements in the buildings stopped, and a loud horn resounded throughout the desolate city. A second later, cheers rang out from the buildings, but no one stepped out except one. A woman with red hair and hazel eyes, wearing a steampunk military jacket and freckles on her cheeks, walked forward. Her every step seemed calculated.
"I thought we told you never to come back here again, Stephen."
Timothy kept quiet as he looked at the woman who was now standing not so far from him. Timothy didn't know why this Stephen was banned from coming here, so he had to find out.
"I can't seem to remember why, though. I think I have a case of amnesia," Timothy said with a smile as he looked at the woman in front of him who had clenched her fist. The woman took another step forward.
"Let the world go still."
She said as she was now standing right in front of him. Timothy was amazed at what he saw the moment she said those words. The world grew quieter; even the rain stopped falling.
"Why are you truly here, Stephen? We weren't supposed to meet until the third eclipse."
The woman spoke in a soft tone as she looked at him longingly. Timothy saw that this woman loved this Stephen. So he told her that he remembers waking up in the middle of a wasteland not so far away from the city with a huge warship approaching him. He ran into the forest and took cover until the warship passed.
"I don't remember anything. I don't even know why that warship was after me."
"So, you really don't remember anything? Not even me, my love? What about Moraine?"
Timothy shook his head as he watched tears escape the woman's eyes. Something in him made him stand up, and he moved to hug the woman, but he stopped himself.
"But it seems your body and your heart still remember me even though your mind has forgotten me."
The red-haired woman said as she noticed his awkward movements. Timothy looked at her, hoping she would tell him who this Stephen is because that may be the key for him to return home.
"I know you want answers, but not here, not now. Wait for me at the base in the forest. I'll meet you there after five days."
She spoke as she touched his face, making Timothy close his eyes at the soft touch before she turned back and started walking back to the ruined buildings.
"Uh, hey, I didn't get your name, plus where is this base you speak of?"
"I'll tell you soon. I already gave you the location of the base. Why do you think I was... nevermind."
She said as she disappeared into the building. Timothy was about to tell her she didn't, but then the location of the base was now in his memories. It was a location hidden deep in the forest near a swamp and a huge tree. Timothy walked out of the city, totally distracted, as he kept thinking about what the woman said. He understood one thing, though.
"This guy is that woman's lover, and Moraine seems to be someone close to both of them... what the..."
Timothy had totally forgotten that it was originally raining when he entered the city, so when he walked out of the city, the rain resumed.
"Can the Konquerors back home also do that?"
Timothy was amazed and excited as he made his way to the base. The deeper regions of the forest were deadly quiet and scary, but he cautiously made his way through the forest and reached the location of the base. It was built underground, and on the surface, there was grass covering a lever that opened the door to the base. Timothy immediately took out the concealed dagger in his sleeve as he went to pull the lever. The moment he touched it, the lever emitted a blue light, and mechanical gears could be heard moving as the door slowly opened.
"What is all of this?" Timothy spoke letting go of the lever, and he cautiously made his way down the stairs as the door behind closed.
Timothy could tell that this body he was in was stronger, faster, and better than his original body. He could hear sounds from a faraway distance, and his eyes were able to zoom in and out; he could even see in the dark.
"Enhanced strength, speed, hearing, and sight? Is this what father meant when he said to train my body to its peak?" Timothy thought as he went down the stairs, observing the metallic wall and the strange objects on it. He arrived at the center of the base, and his expression was one of shock.