Chapter 47
As the lantern fell from Hoku's grasp, his other hand clamped onto the hilt.
By some ill-timed fortune, Li seemed to sense the gathering intent in his muscles.
Without hurry, he caught Hoku by the collar, turning his own shoulder just enough.
The sword's point slid past, and with a single step, Li siphoned away the force, guiding Hoku's arm outward as if draining it of strength.
A faint turn of the wrist rolled the blade off its line.
Hoku stumbled forward, one knee striking the ground.
As his free hand braced against the dirt, the sword spun from his grasp and landed several feet away.
Li made no move to draw his own.
He only shifted enough for the sheathed blade at his hip to touch Hoku's fallen sword with a dry clack.
"I wasn't going to swing," Hoku muttered with his gaze lowered.
"At least, I hadn't meant to,"
Li's brow twitched skeptically, but he left it at that.
Mars had cast him a measuring look before diverting it onto the sword.
"Fine," Hoku exhaled, "I should've said this before. When I was messing with the compass earlier… these cards appeared in my hand. Like tarot."
Mars appeared taken aback. "Cards?"
"One of them was called the High Priestess."
He rubbed at his temple. "I don't know why. I don't know how they work. I don't even know if there are others."
That made Li's head tilt slightly, though he stayed silent.
Mars lifted his brows, tipping his chin back.
"We didn't expect you to brush against divinations this early," he said. "We'd meant to keep that from you until later. They're not something you dabble in."
"Divinations," Hoku repeated, rolling the word on his tongue. "So what's the big deal?"
Mars let out a slow sigh as he stepped forward, offering a hand.
"The point is, they're abundant and far more obscure than you're ready for. The Seraphis divinations aren't tarot, nor are they simply bound to those cards. The cards are just disguised incantations."
"Why hide them?" Hoku inquired as he pulled himself upright.
"The Abundant Creator. They are among the few, formidable instruments beyond his own making."
Li had finally eased his stance, watching Hoku rise.
After a moment's thought, Hoku turned to Li. "I can only stand by the fact that my knowledge is little beyond what Mars has shared. I merely pieced together a few things on my own after noticing something was… different."
Standing slightly off to the side, Li crossed his arms, as if trying to find a trace of dishonesty.
Without warning, he swept a hand out from beneath his mantle and tossed something toward him.
Hoku caught it before he even realized what it was.
Moments after, the cold metal and familiar shape had given it away.
"This—! You had it the whole time? Yet you—"
Li raised the lantern near Hoku's face, interrupting him. "Better I keep it than have to scavenge it. Get on with your idea; I've had enough of this word wandering."
A scowl formed over Hoku's features as he dragged the lantern down.
"Why didn't you return it when you found me?"
Turning the compass over in his hand to check for damage, Hoku saw Li reach for the vial tied around his neck with a cord knotted from his supply sack.
He flicked its side deliberately as the corners of his mouth formed a mocking grin.
He half-turned, saying lightly, "It must have slipped my mind."
Without another word, he clicked his tongue and withdrew his expression at once, sweeping an arm toward the Nymareth before idly proceeding about.
Hoku grumbled under his breath and approached the creature.
"If you need me to do anything within my ability, tell me. My knowledge of the divinations is scattered, but I may be able to identify the effects of whichever one is cast."
Though Mars's words were doubtless intended to bolster Hoku's spirits, they instead consoled him enough that he returned them with a grateful nod.
Now that he stood closer, he saw the Nymareth's black-red blood dripping in thick trails, matting the fur.
What drew his eye more were the faint etchings burned into the barbs themselves.
He swiftly made a connection in his mind. 'They're similar to the markings I saw on the cave walls when Mars lit the gate. And he mentioned these might be imbued to worsen the wound. Could this be proof?'
From afar, they might have passed for mere scratches, but close enough to examine, their exactness and peculiar texture implied a different origin.
Hoku's gaze lingered longer as he pondered, 'How many systems of power exist here? From what I've seen, much revolves around elixirs, but that could just be because they're the only tangible thing I've handled. There have been other things, passed over quickly, only explained in relation to the moment.'
Once his fingers found the compass dial, the memory of how he had once triggered the tarots surged.
Though accidental, it had afforded him just enough of an advantage to evade what should have been certain death.
Even so, with only a partial recollection, he was momentarily stalled by a single uncertainty—
'Was it left… or right?'
For an instant, Hoku's hand stilled, and his muscles tensed instinctively against the oncoming pain.
Inwardly gritting his teeth, he turned the dial to the left.
Simultaneously, the air appeared to cave inward, as if pulled into an unseen void.
Though other sounds persisted, they had lost their natural timbre; instead, the most distinct now resembled water trickling from some unknown place.
Before the rain could descend and draw him into another instance, Hoku pressed down on the dial and flipped the latch.
Instead of the ominous crimson from before, a narrow ring of light snapped open in his palm.
Whoosh!
It expanded in a swift, blade-like arc before fire surged up from the center.
The flames were molten gold, veined with searing white, edged in soft lilac and fleeting sparks of sea-blue.
A dull warmth swept across his skin. Even the compass's presence felt more tangible in his palm.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Hoku watched as the fire gathered and squared at the edges, compressing into a compact stack that settled into his hand.
Awe flitted across his face as he realized a deck of cards now rested in his palm.
With his left hand, he drew the top card free.
The blaze adhered to it without smoke, yet as he turned it over, the brilliance masked the image beneath.
Suddenly, both the drawn card and the deck began to dissolve, ember by ember, until the light receded enough for the lines to sharpen.
An illustration depicted two figures standing close beneath an arch of intertwined branches, their hands almost touching.
Pale-gold light outlined them, while a third, indistinct silhouette loomed above, gazing inscrutably downward.
Hoku inwardly read the text at the bottom of the card—
The Lovers.
Before the thought could settle, the remaining cards unraveled into fine, silvery ash.
The compass in his palm liquefied at once and scalded his palm.
As pain surged up his arm, Hoku folded his fingers inward to hold it in place.
He tilted his head down, and he pressed his lips together to suppress a cry.
In that moment, he noticed the projection waver above his sword.
The numbers moved in disorder, without a discernible pattern, filling him with doubt. It's happened before… I'm starting to think it's an omen, and it's getting worse. Even if it's not the first time…
Liquid slid from both sides of his hand, peeling away strips of skin as it dripped.
'Most of the time, they're only a row of zeros.'
His attention drifted from the sword. The tarot hadn't behaved the same this time. He couldn't be certain of the effect.
Just as worry began to solidify into fear, a peculiar tug rose in his chest, as if an invisible hand pressed lightly against his skin.
Hoku stiffened, then drew a sharp breath and reflexively tore open the front of his shirt.
His pupils constricted at the sight of white veins spreading across his chest.
At their center, a symbol was slowly taking shape.
Amidst his horror, he inwardly discerned, 'This—! It looks… almost like the sigil from the tunnel.' Hoku swallowed dryly.
The sword slipped from his grip as he reached inside his shirt.
The instant his fingers brushed the raised texture, the veins split into fine, shallow cuts, weeping a milky fluid.
Fear seized his thoughts, leaving only the unavoidable tingling at the core. 'No—I need to cut it out before it—'
He grasped the sword's hilt.
Instantly, his fingers gave way, and Hoku lurched forward, bracing on his knees before he fell entirely.
In the brief heartbeat before agony detonated in his chest, he'd seen the symbol's surface corrode, as though the veins feeding it had been cut and rerouted somewhere inside him.
The pain came so abruptly, so viciously, that his jaw only dropped soundlessly.
He bent lower, gripping the front of his clothes to keep from collapsing altogether.
It was like an enormous jaw with dull teeth had clamped down on his heart and crushed through an artery.
'Heart attack…'
It was the closest comparison he could fathom, yet nothing he'd felt before came close.
The clamorous pounding of his heart reverberated within his ears and swelled against the confines of his skull.
Unbeknownst to him, the same phenomenon rippled through the others, though the symbols on them still glowed white, untouched.
Hoku finally seized the sword, and He drew a deliberate breath, intent on carving the mark from his chest.
Yet as his vision skewed and the world's edges swayed, something entrenched in his mind pressed back, urging him to hesitate.
Without any clear reason, his eyes swept over Li, then came to an abrupt halt.
Upon the back of Li's hand, he noticed the very same symbol.
The lines were slightly brighter, as if glowing through the flesh.
He edged forward without standing, dragging himself over the ground.
A spasm wrenched his chest, forcing dry, hollow retches as he leaned in, keeping one palm pressed against his sternum.
His doubt vanished upon realizing it was the same mark.
Mars bore it as well.
It took Hoku only a moment longer to notice that the tunnel walls were threaded with translucent, iridescent white filaments, writhing slowly in different directions like living organisms.
The strands split and branched in intricate patterns, enough to make one dizzy or even nauseated.
Yet, amid this odd scene, only the figures beyond the internal control of Hoku's compass remained still.
Hoku's body fell backward instinctively, his neck craning toward the Nymareth.
Above the wound on the creature's leg, a fresh blemish had appeared; one that had not been there moments before.
Without a moment's hesitation, he deflected the blade from his own chest and spun around.
In two swift motions, he slashed it across the backs of Li's and Mars's hands.
The strain in Hoku's chest fluctuated with each heartbeat, but he forced himself upright long enough to watch both wounds corrode.
Simultaneously, the white strands pulsed from two separate points, pressing against Hoku's temples.
Darkness surged from within, curling outward in clouds that gradually dulled as they expanded.
Almost immediately, his strength was drained from his body, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Behind him, the Nymareth's pallid veins and sigil receded beneath its skin.
Hoku's shallow breathing echoed in his ears.
At the edge of his vision, the numbers projected above his sword had finally returned to zero.
'Is…is it all over now?' Hoku wondered bitterly.
A warm droplet of blood splashed against his cheek, and a heartbeat later, the metallic tang reached his tongue.
"..."
"What happened?" Mars inquired with alarm.
Footsteps shuffled closer, and a tall shadow bent over Hoku.
Li frowned as he glanced at the cut on his own hand, then at Mars's matching wound.
At once, Mars spotted Hoku and swiftly knelt beside him, before gently turning him onto his back.
After a short pause, Li finally spoke. "He needs time to recover."
A trace of confusion swept over Mars's face as he looked up.
Li turned his hand palm-up to show the blackened mark. "An absorption curse," he explained tentatively. "Hoku chose to bear another's pain until it ends. Hence, breaking our seals was the only way."
"The pain will return until the curse finally fades," Li added, his gaze drifting to Hoku's ashen face. "From now on, he'll need all the help he can get." Mars's eyes lingered on Hoku a moment longer before acknowledging the Nymareth.
The thorny snare entwining its leg was already shriveling, while the superfluous veins had long since vanished.
The creature leaned forward, bit by bit, and snapped it apart, letting the fragments scatter onto the ground.
A mournful sound welled from its throats, drawn out in unison until it nearly became a flute-like lament.
However, it subsided into relief as the creature's wounds began to close.
Li exhaled a stifled sigh through his nose before instructing Mars to retrieve the lantern.
Before Mars could even stoop fully, Li had already seized Hoku by the arm and pulled him upright.
Hoku lurched forward, and at that moment, the Nymareth rose onto its hooves in eerie unison.
Their smooth motions had quickly stirred more vigilance within Li.
Hoku's features contorted with pain as he collapsed heavily against Li's shoulder.
Discomfort coursed through Hoku's joints, and his legs trembled, barely holding his frame.
Li glanced at Hoku's ashen face. "Keep moving," he urged. "I'll help you this once."
Without waiting for a response, he asked, "Can you walk on your own?"
Hoku's posture sagged lower as he shook his head.
Li took a deep breath before looping an arm under Hoku's back.
Carefully, he bent down and hoisted Hoku onto his shoulders.
The injured man settled over Li with a groan, draping an arm across Li's neck.
Thunk—
As he hoisted Hoku onto his back, and stood up, there was a soft clatter.
Li glanced down, spotting the small compass lying face-up among patches of blue flowers.
'Seems you nearly lost it a second time,' he thought with a wry twist.
This time, a short, quiet laugh escaped him.
After all the trouble Hoku faced, it almost slipped away again.
Li bent to retrieve it, tucking it securely into Hoku's pocket.
One of the Nymareth's heads suddenly turned toward them.
Its nostrils flared as it exhaled a low, rumbling hiss.
Wart, the creature, remained rooted and studied Li intently.
'This isn't surprising,' Li mused, given the beast's recent injury and the oddity of the situation.
Nevertheless, they still needed its aid.
Li spoke as he stepped forward tentatively, "We healed you, now it's in your best interest to guide us to the garden." He kept his voice low but confident.
The Nymareth's gaze remained fixed on him for a long moment.
Then, delicately, its nine tails scraped against the ground.
At once, both of its heads bowed together, and the creature turned, walking off into the undergrowth.
Li lowered his voice even further. "Stay behind me," he murmured to Mars.
Together, they fell in step some distance behind the Nymareth.
To Be Continued…