Rotell quietly stumbled through the forest. The sun was setting overhead as her breathing finally steadied. She looked around. Every few dozen steps, she paused, listened, then continued without circulating even a trace of spiritual energy. Her injuries continued to worsen, but she endured them in silence, coughing violently whenever she stumbled.
From time to time, she would tap the ground.
This ripple would produce a resonance, but its aura was restrained and restricted.
The dense trees gradually faded away, and soon, she emerged onto a long cliff. The thick canopy gave way to a rocky ridge and a steep drop. The oppressive feeling that had haunted her for so long slowly began to ease as the sweeping view of the hilly highlands came into view. Although the sun was not a real sun, and the sky was not a real sky, the view of the false sunset was still breathtaking.
Soon, she reached the edge of the rocky ridge, nearly collapsing. The cliff ahead dropped sharply into a wide valley, expanding into a vast, open expanse.
Rotell finally allowed herself to breathe.
"…I should be good here, right?"
She briefly peeked over her shoulder, but the words had barely left her lips when—
Silence….
Hm?
Her brows furrowed.
Where had the sound of insects gone? She turned around. Only a mere moment ago, the forest had been alive with distant chirping, animal noises, and leaves rustling in the wind.
But now, there was nothing…
It was eerie. Even the wind had changed, seemingly becoming colder. A chilly current brushed across the back of her neck, and suddenly, her instincts screamed!
Rotell's pupils contracted.
Without even thinking, she threw herself sideways.
BOOM!!
The cliff exploded!
Her heartbeat thumped heavily against her ribs as an enormous black head erupted from beneath the cliff, its colossal jaws crushing the exact spot where she had been standing only an instant earlier. Stone shattered as the mountainside collapsed. Rotell tumbled through a rain of broken rock, barely catching herself before another violent gust of wind sent her rolling again.
"…Impossible!" she cried out, her mind unable to keep up.
Had it always been following her? Then what were those distant noises! Could it have really followed her markings!? NO! She must have missed something! She had seriously underestimated the intelligence of this Magic Beast! It must have been hiding near her the entire time. From the very beginning, the monster had deliberately herded her toward this cliff.
Hissssss—!
The serpent's golden eyes stared down at her with a terrifyingly calm gaze.
Then, its massive tail swept sideways!
Boom!!
The terrain disappeared!
Suppressed by a scream, Rotell barely had time to spring to the side. The ground beneath her continuously vanished as the cliff crumbled under the serpent's enormous weight.
Crash! Crash!! Crash!!!
Each and every movement tore apart sections of the mountainside. Suddenly, a cloud of dark green mist burst from the serpent. In an instant, Rotell's expression changed. She immediately held her breath, but the poisonous cloud still engulfed her and spilled across the edge of the cliff. An extreme sense of nausea instantly overwhelmed her, followed by a dizzying sensation. Her skin began to painfully burn while the fabric concealed within her light armor rapidly dissolved.
"…Damn it! This poison!"
She slashed backward with her sword, releasing a crescent of sword-light filled with spiritual energy in a desperate attempt to buy herself another moment. She could already feel her mind darkening.
The attack struck the serpent's scales—CLANG!!—leaving not even a scratch! The recoil alone nearly tore the weapon from her hands, causing her already weakened body to go almost limp.
In the next instant, the serpent thrashed one last time.
Rotell desperately twisted her body, dancing through the flying rubble.
Boom!
Its jaws narrowly missed her torso, but its fangs clipped the blade instead. Her sword flew from her hand, spinning high into the air before disappearing into the collapsing ridge below.
"…No!"
She instinctively reached for it while cursing, but it was already too late. Her fingers tapped her hilt, only to send it spinning away. The earth beneath her feet collapsed completely, and Rotell's footing finally vanished. With the serpent still bearing down upon her, she was forced towards the last vestiges of the edge of the cliff with nowhere left to run.
She jumped!
-
BOOM!
The cliff collapsed!
The earth beneath Rotell's feet had simply split apart and scattered. The stone shattered into countless fragments as an enormous section of the mountainside gave way, carrying her down with it. Her blue eyes widened—and then, she was falling…
She fell.
"Ah!"
The world spun. Cold wind screamed past her ears as her body plunged down uncontrollably. Chunks of rock spun around her as the entire cliffside crumbled and cracked, threatening to crush her.
Crash!
As she fell, a boulder slammed into her shoulder, sending her tumbling end over end. Another rocky outcrop caught her fall, but with a violent crash, she bounced off it, shattering her already damaged leg in the process. Rip! The fabric beneath her light armor snagged against a jagged rock before tearing away. Metal scraped violently across the cliff face, sending sparks flying through the air as the rough stone battered her exposed skin. As she tumbled down, the roaring of a waterfall grew louder and louder until it drowned out everything else. Rotell couldn't even tell which way was up. The world had become nothing more than stone, wind, and the relentless sound of rushing water.
Splash!
The river struck her like solid ground. The impact drove the remaining breath from her lungs before the violent current dragged her beneath the surface.
Rotell let out a silent scream.
As she was swept away, her injured form was relentlessly tossed against a series of submerged stones. The freezing water pulled at her limbs, carrying her deeper down, spinning her through the torrent.
Soon, darkness crept into the edges of her vision.
Everything was going black…
Far above, atop the ruined cliff, the colossal serpent slowly peered over the edge. Its golden eyes flickered as the raging river pulled her into the distance. It remained there for several long seconds, watching, then turned away. After releasing one last dissatisfied hiss, the massive beast slowly withdrew. Soon, its enormous body vanished back into the depths of the forest.
Only the endless roar of the water remained as Rotell drifted away into the distance…
-
A few minutes later, a dark shadow appeared where the serpent had just been…
* * *
The underground tunnel stretched endlessly behind them.
Tap, tap, tap...
Three sets of footsteps echoed through the damp and dark passage. Pale green moss clung to the walls and ceiling, casting just enough light, intertwined with small specks, to reveal the uneven stone beneath their feet.
Trili walked in the front. Although her expression remained calm, her dazzling blue eyes constantly swept across the darkness, never lowering her guard.
Behind her, Petra hopped down from a waist-high rock with a small grunt. The ledge was just a little too high for her short little legs, making the descent look rather comical. Without saying a word, Trili reached back with one hand, only to be a second slower than Wind, who had already grasped Petra's hand and helped her down.
Petra blinked a few times before naturally placing her tiny hand into the maid's slightly larger one. She looked up at Trili with a hint of embarrassment.
"Thanks anyway, big sister!"
"Hehe, it's nothing…" Trili replied warmly.
A few moments later, the young woman from the blue dragon clan watched as the maid helped Petra across another gap in the stone floor. These two seemed to have a relationship quite different from that of a common master and maid. Trili could tell that this silver-haired girl didn't have any special training, but the pure care she showed for Petra seemed completely genuine.
They continued forward, talking from time to time. Although Petra was repeatedly helped by Wind, she spent quite a bit of time running circles around Trili. Wind just silently followed behind, watching the interaction with amusement.
She thought, for some reason, these two got along surprisingly well…
Buzz!
A shadow darted across the ceiling. Trili's eyes sharpened, as her gaze swept up.
"They're coming again…"
Petra nodded.
Whoosh!
Several wolf-shaped specters suddenly slipped out from the cracks throughout the tunnel. Their translucent bodies were formed from pale grey light, their four legs barely touching the ground as they sprinted wildly through the darkness. These were the weakest forms of the wolf-like specters. Although Petra didn't know what these singing stone wolves were, she didn't feel that they were very dangerous. As for Trili, they were nothing more than an annoyance.
"Mm…?" Petra tilted her head. "This time they seem to be running somewhere..."
Wind nodded. After waving her hand to scatter those that were drawing closer, she added, "They almost seem to be running away…" The creatures didn't seem interested in them at all, instead, they looked almost frightened. Even so, several of them inevitably rushed toward the group.
As they appeared in front, Trili stepped forward.
Buzz!
A pale blue spiritual energy that carried a serene sensation wrapped around her hand as she stretched it out. With one fluid movement, she drew her hand through the air, slashing with a blade formed from spiritual energy. The specter split apart before dissolving into drifting light.
She frowned. Without slowing down, Trili twisted gracefully.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Every strike was minimal, clean, and precise. The remaining specters scattered deeper into the darkness without even attempting to retaliate.
Soon, silence returned…
Trili calmly lowered her hand. "We can continue."
Petra nodded while quietly watching her back. This big sister… she was probably a good person! Petra lowered her gaze slightly, then chuckled. Originally, she had been wondering whether she should deal with 'that dragon' later, but now, maybe she should go a little easier on him.
Mm, just a little…
Behind them, Wind noticed the thoughtful look on Petra's face. She smiled inwardly. The Little Young Miss clearly didn't need protecting. If anything, Trili was unknowingly protecting the monsters from Petra instead. But naturally, nobody said that out loud.
The three continued forward…
-
Time quietly passed.
Eventually, the tunnel began to change.
The walls slowly widened, and the ceiling rose higher and higher. Soon, a cool breeze began to drift through the passage, washing Petra's face with a gust of fresh air.
Then, light!
Natural sunlight spilled through the tunnel entrance up ahead, growing brighter with every step. A few minutes later, the three emerged from the cave completely.
Trili stopped, Wind's eyes widened slightly, and even Petra forgot to blink.
Before them stretched an enormous enclosed valley, completely surrounded by towering mountains. Petra pondered the view. This seemed to be the place Rose had previously mentioned. The cliffs rose so high that they almost formed walls, separating this hidden valley from the outside world. Green grass swayed gently in the breeze while multiple rivers converged and cascaded down. Wildflowers bloomed across the open field, making it feel incredibly peaceful.
Petra looked around curiously while following Trili farther into the valley. After walking several hundred meters, she suddenly stopped.
"...Hm?"
Not far ahead, the ground abruptly ended. The three slowly approached, taking it step by step until they finally reached the edge of an enormous central hole.
Petra carefully peeked over, and her little eyes immediately became round.
Below them lay a massive basin carved into the heart of the earth. Far beneath, a crystal-clear lake reflected the open sky above like polished glass, and at its center rested a solitary island. Upon that island stood a pillar that appeared ancient, covered in cracks, and filled with strange markings. Countless strange symbols and enormous chains wrapped around its surface, while a giant platform spiraled upward around it, layer after layer. Petra looked at these strange runes, and after a while, she locked onto the largest rune for 'Fearlessness!' that was carved directly in the heart of the pillar.
Mist drifted lazily across the water, and the surrounding rivers around Petra transitioned into several waterfalls that cascaded down the surrounding cliffs, feeding the lake below with a constant roar that somehow only made the place feel more tranquil.
The entire basin carried an ancient, almost sacred atmosphere, practically inviting them down.
Petra's big black eyes sparkled. "...Wow!"
* * *