Petra felt her vision flash.
A moment later, the young girl found herself dragged back, standing in the center of her Sea of Consciousness.
Her sea of consciousness shook violently.
She could feel an 'outside' force directly reshaping a part of her mind. A cubical mass had appeared in the void above the black sea. Its walls split, compressed, reshaped, and reformed. Like a kaleidoscope that was infinitely recurring, something was being changed at a fundamental level, then being refined before returning to its three-dimensional state. This continued, constantly building some kind of higher-dimensional structure within her sea of consciousness. It was almost like it was following some kind of pre-programmed function that was contained within that seed.
Yes, 'that seed'. Petra could feel that the changes happening in her head, no, in her body, were all caused by that strange seed.
This unknown 'Will' was not hostile, nor was it intelligent. It was simply completing a mission, passing on something that should be passed on. It was as simple as that.
As for the black leather book left to her by the old man, Petra watched as the book split open and repeatedly stripped itself of one book after another. It was like a snake shedding its skin. The countless books that were compressed together using spatial magic were returning to their original state. One after another, different books, each complete, unique, and with their own cover, were stripped out and floated around, waiting for something.
These books covered a wide range of topics and languages, some Petra knew, and others that she did not. As they floated around, Petra almost felt like they had spirituality, like a bird awaiting its nest.
Finally, the Black Butterfly had somehow entered her Sea of Consciousness. It floated around the changing black cube, also quietly waiting.
When the world settled down, everything was different.
Where the black cube once was, now stood a towering 'library'.
From inside, the library was 12 floors tall, with thick balcony-like structures that were hollowed out in the center, dividing each floor. A cross shaped bridge connected each floor from the center, ending in a doorway when met by the library walls, and then leading out into the vast expanse of the sea of consciousness. Its top and bottom were capped with cylindrical roofs that ended in a point.
This open-style library was massive, easily becoming the center of Petras Sea of Consciousness.
A countless number of books filled the shelves, a stark contrast to the near empty bookshelves back in the real world.
In the center of the library was a 2-meter-tall black and white sapling. It floated without soil, its roots mimicking its branches. Petra understood that this was the small black seed after it took root in her Sea of Consciousness. With a look, Petra knew that this was a tree called 'The Chaos Heart'. Although Petra was unsure as to what it did, she could feel that its power was linked to her mental strength.
The old man's book had split and filled the library.
The Black butterfly casually flew from floor to floor, releasing purple echoes of itself. Streams of silver light illuminated the building, almost like cloud serpents, swimming through the void. Dozens of small black fish swam in schools, illuminated by an ethereal black light, treating the library as their undersea world. Overall, the picture was breathtaking and magical.
Petra exited her meditation.
When she opened her eyes, she once again saw Nebula, holding up a barrier.
Petra shrank her shoulders, her face turning red.
"Uh, sorry..."
Nebu just shook her head. "Next time, you might want to set up a cultivation room away from the main tower."
Petra seriously agreed.
Although she didn't know what she did, considering the things she was playing with (The King's Hand, The Black Seed, The Old Man's book, and The Heart of Chaos), she felt like it was only a matter of time until something went wrong.
"How long was I out?"
"It's only been four hours."
Petra widened her eyes. She felt like it was a lot longer.
"Lunch should be ready soon, if you're hungry?" Nebula added.
Petras' little eyes glowed.
She was surprisingly hungry.
The little girl got to her feet, only to realise that she was standing on the dining room table.
She looked towards Nebula, only to realise Lilly and Luna were staring at her with a shocked expression.
"Huh? How did I get here? Wasn't I in the laboratory?"
Petra's little mind suddenly couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
She saw Nebula come down from the stairs leading up.
Nebula looked at her, a slightly confused look on her face. She asked, "You used the Ethereal Echoes space ability?"
Petra's eyes widened.
She teleported!?
Petra shut her little eyes and focused on the room upstairs.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself upstairs, in her bedroom.
Petra's confusion suddenly turned into ecstasy.
She teleported back to the dining room and suddenly started laughing like a maniac.
* * *
Green Wind Forest, Expedition Team.
In the open forest, the dark clouds blotted out the sun.
Ferocious winds picked up the freezing rain and falling snow, transforming into a monstrous snowstorm. Thunder and lightning ripped through the sky, making one feel as if they had entered an ancient battlefield. The temperature was close to unbearable, and the low visibility was nearly blinding.
Three large beasts stomped through the sea of snow as the group of weak mages struggled to keep up.
With each passing moment, the falling snow continued to pile up. After another few hours, the expedition team would likely be digging through a tunnel of snow.
In front of the team, the group of mages from the Sky Tower discussed…
Owen held down his hood, trying to block some of the wind. He looked at Aron and asked, "The weather is worse than we predicted. Are you sure that we have everything?"
Aron nodded. "There's no problem with our supplies, but..." He paused, looking behind at the large group of people. "I don't know if they've brought enough."
The thousands of people were like a long pilgrimage through the snow.
Owen shook his head. "It doesn't matter, we just need to complete our mission."
"Mm." Aron nodded, looking at the followers with a slight worry, but soon pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He had more important things to do.
Rachel walked over and pointed into the distance.
"Look, isn't that our first destination!"
Aron and Owen looked through the snow and found a large stone spire standing just ahead.
Aron checked the map, quickly reading through the information before nodding. "Looks like it! Owen, tell the apprentices to stay alert, we're entering the forbidden area!"
Owen nodded and passed down the message.
Rachel looked at the towering spire through the snow with a pair of curious eyes. She turned to Aron and asked, "Do you know what's supposed to be here?"
Aron nodded to her and explained. "This is recorded as the largest prison built during the Elfefalein Empire's rule."
Rachel's face darkened. The interest from a moment ago turned to disgust. "You mean that this place is going to be filled with bodies?"
Aron chuckled. "No, this prison should have been used for enemies. Even if there were high elves imprisoned here, they wouldn't have left their bodies behind."
Rachel nodded.
She was still a girl after all, and she hated rotting corpses.
Owen returned from talking to the respective team leaders.
"Everyone is ready."
Aron nodded.
"Then let's go! We don't know how dangerous this place is, so stay alert."
-
The expedition team slowly approached the abandoned prison. Through the Snowstorm, the visibility was heavily restricted, only letting them see a tall spire in the distance.
The silent snow was deafening, leaving a strong tension in the air.
Aron's team of 200 was the first to arrive at the spire.
The surroundings were shaped like a massive sundial. The circular stone platform surrounded the massive stone spire. The spire was engraved with countless runes, densely packed on its stone surface.
Aron examined the stone platform, while Owen, Bell, and Rachel checked the surrounding area.
The group from the adventurers' guild was the next to arrive.
Elena walked with the gold level adventurers, carefully examining the surroundings.
Elena rarely came to the northern region in her past life. It wasn't because she didn't care, it was just that, when she was weak, she couldn't come, and when she was strong, she had more important things to do. This caused the Green Wind Forest to be a big mystery for her. Aside from the few tales she would occasionally hear, she knew almost nothing.
Elena didn't know anything about this expedition in her previous life, so she suspected that it was something caused by the changes in this loop. This non-existent expedition was just another thing caused by the butterfly effect.
She followed the adventurers as they started to set up tents around the circumference of the stone spire.
Elena knew a bit about the high elves. This prison was actually incredibly famous in the records of the Elfefalein Empire. It was a place where many of the empire's strongest enemies were held. Before the Green Wind Forest became a land of mystery, between the current era and the golden era of the high elves, 'something' changed, making the Green Wind Forest the enigma it is today. This left the abandoned prison as a place of legends, a place where none could enter, and even if they could, none would return.
Elena had heard of it, but never visited it.
This was the first time she found out that it was one of the forbidden areas in the northern forest.
Although so much time had passed, it was still possible for some of the prisoners to be alive.
From the fall of the Elfefalein Empire to now, it was only about 6,000 years. For those top-level monsters, human lifespans could reach up to 10,000 years.
Elena knew that she needed to be vigilant.
After the adventurers finished setting up camp, the final few stragglers had arrived.
-
An hour later, Aron called everyone over.
He began…
"This is an old high elven prison left behind by the Elfefalein Empire. When we enter, make sure to pay attention to the surrounding prisoners. Although they should all be long dead, one or two of them may still be clinging onto life! Our goal is to investigate the true danger behind this forbidden zone, not rob a tomb!"
Aron continued to explain what they knew about the abandoned prison and its long history.
After his speech, Aron walked over to a place in the stone platform and inserted a 'key'. This key was an old relic that the Sky Tower had found.
After the key was 'turned', the stone platform lit up and continuously pulsed with a mysterious white light. It blinked and clicked, coming alive in a way that nobody could understand. The stone platform made small movements, compounding many miniaturised adjustments to the complex clockwork hidden beneath its simple stone façade. Like a horizontal bank vault, only far more complex. Eventually, all these changes came together directly under Aron's feet.
Soon, a singular gap in the stone platform opened, not unlike twisting off a bottle cap. Leading down to a spiraling set of stairs, just wide enough for two people at a time.
Aron, Bell, Rachel, and Owen all descended, followed by the 200 apprentices from the Sky Tower, then Elena and the adventurers, and finally the thousands of free explorers.
The group of mages descended into the depths of the prison. Light became scarce, requiring the mages to provide their own light source. The frigid winter winds were slowly drowned out by the unnerving silence of the stone tunnels.
The sound of many footsteps echoed throughout the darkness.
They arrived in a large stone hall. This hall extended forward into the darkness, showing no signs of its end. To the sides, there were many barred doors that led to individual holding cells.
In the center of the room was another set of stairs that led down deeper into the prison.
Aron, Bell, Rachel, and Owen began to look around.
Not long after, Elena and the adventurers arrived as well. After looking around, Elena quickly discovered something strange. As if to confirm her suspicions, the Lion Beastmen to the side asked, "Why does this look like a normal prison?"
Rachel looked at him, quietly sneering, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Elena explained. "He means, why doesn't this look like a high elven prison? The cells look like they are just stone doors and iron bars." Elena pointed around. "There are none of the runes that are synonymous with high elven architecture, and..." Elena turned her head towards the stairs leading deeper. "Why do the stairs leading down look closer to a hidden entrance than the stairs to the next floor?"
Rachel frowned and looked around. She was right. Although grand, this place was missing many of the signs of the lost empire.
She turned her eyes towards the stairs leading down.
They were old and decrepit, nothing like the stairs that took them down.
"How did you know this was a prison?" Elena asked.
Rachel shook her head and frowned. "Let me ask Aron."
Just after Rachel left to find Aron, Elena suddenly heard someone call out from one of the cells. "Look at this! Doesn't this look like those monsters that appeared in Tera?"
Elena jogged over to look at what the man had found.
Behind the barred door was a 'monster' with a chaotic, mutated, and blackened form. It was humanoid, but mixed with the appearance of one who 'survived a devastating fire' and 'fell into an oil pit'. Although hard to tell, its arms were also slightly deformed. It only retained the appearance of a human, but wasn't actually one.
Elena frowned.
In her past life, she had seen these things before, but she didn't know what they were. Aside from being almost impossible to kill, the only thing Elena knew was that they had nothing to do with the calamities. Even in her first life, where she had survived all the way to the last calamity, these strange black things still never appeared to make trouble.
"It's alive." A sudden voice came from beside her.
Elena looked over to find the pale-skinned gold-level adventurer standing next to her. This girl, Soryn, was looking at the black figure that leaned against the back wall. She had long white hair and bright white eyes. She looked like a white-haired Yuki-onna.
"You can tell?"
The pale woman shook her head. "It's not that I can tell, but this thing is still pulsing with 'heat', it's not much different than a heartbeat."
Elena frowned. She suddenly had a bad feeling.
Just before she was going to say something...
"Look at this! It's still moving!"
A loud voice came from a cell not too far away.
Elena followed the crowd and gathered around the man who had just called out. He was inside an open cell, reading through an old and decayed note. At first glance, this cell seemed to be used as a study instead of a holding cell, transformed by someone who had appeared here long before them. He pointed at a large jar on a nearby desk that contained an amorphous black blob. It was swimming around in the cramped jar.
Elena recognized this as the black monsters.
The pale skinned woman who had followed Elena suddenly spoke up, "I think we should leave."
Elena nodded. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Behind the group, Rachel and Bell suddenly pushed their way through. "Back up, back up, let me see!"
Rachel pushed to the front and stood beside the man. She looked through the other books on the table before picking one and casually reading through it.
She tossed it to the side, uninterested.
Bell, in the back, picked up the discarded book and looked through it.
Elena and the pale woman walked over and looked over Bell's shoulder.
The book was written in the High Elven language, but all three of them could read it. Their eyes scanned the page until a certain name made them pause.
Soryn frowned. "Can you read that name?"
Bell shook her head. "It just looks like an ink stain, right?"
Elena's frown deepened. "I can read it, it says [!!! H!!! !!N!!]"
Both the pale skinned woman and Bell grimaced. They reeled back in pain as an uncomfortable 'sound' pierced into their minds. They used their hands to cover their ears, seemingly affected by something in Elena's words. To them, Elena had just pronounced the sound of nails on a chalkboard.
Elena's eyes widened.
'Oh no!'
Boom!
Elena realised the problem too late.
One must not casually speak the name of a god…