Chapter 64 — The Fog of Souls
Obliranca's palace stretched before them like a fragment of another world, suspended between sky and earth, between dream and reality. Every stone seemed alive, pulsing with a gentle, hypnotic energy, as if it were aware of Seth and Alexander's presence. The nacreous towers rose so high they seemed to pierce the clouds, and the light emanating from them was neither purely solar nor lunar, but something in between, softly oscillating between silvery brilliance and opalescent reflections.
The moment Seth stepped inside, he felt the air vibrating around him. A subtle mist slid along the floor, winding around columns carved with runes. The air was not merely breathable… it felt alive, laden with a silent consciousness that wrapped around him with invisible fingers. Every breath of wind brushed his skin like a whisper, yet every fiber of his body tightened with instinctive alertness.
— Alexander… do you feel that? Seth murmured, his voice uneasy, beads of sweat dripping as he intensely felt the oppression of this place.
Alexander stopped, placing a firm hand on a temple pillar.
— Let's not stay here too long, Seth. And avoid standing still. Above all… stay alert.
Seth frowned.
— Why… what should I be wary of?
Alexander's gaze grew serious, almost solemn. He pointed toward the mist rising like a curtain of milky smoke, moving with a fluidity that seemed conscious, reacting to every movement Seth made as if trying to read his thoughts.
— This is the Fog of Souls, Alexander said in a low voice.
— Obliranca protects her temple with it. Those with a dark heart… or impure intentions… are lost within it.
Seth stepped back, his heart pounding wildly.
— Lost… how?
Alexander took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the fog as if he could read its most intimate secret.
— The fog traps them in a parallel dimension made of their memories. Every regret, every fault, every memory becomes chains that imprison them, and escaping is nearly impossible.
— And little by little, it steals their soul. Until you completely cease to exist, preventing even reincarnation.
A chilling shiver ran down Seth's spine. The air around him seemed to tighten, as if the temple itself were trying to hold him back. The ground beneath his feet vibrated faintly, emitting an imperceptible sound, a kind of harmonic whisper resonating directly in his chest.
— Seriously… if this is a joke, he muttered, it's in very poor taste, honestly.
Alexander gave a faint smile, but his gaze remained dark and heavy.
— I wouldn't joke about frightening you, especially in a situation like this. If you had a corrupted soul, Seth… you'd already be dead, and even I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.
He had barely finished speaking when a sharp, violent crash echoed behind them.
Something burst forth, fast as lightning. A shape sprang from the fog, almost invisible to the naked eye. Seth had no time to react. A gleaming blade shot toward him, sharp, direct, swift. Fear rooted him in place, his muscles paralyzed by adrenaline.
Then a sound—followed by silence. Alexander moved.
In an instant, he was behind Seth, stopping the blade aimed at his neck.
Seth blinked, unable to understand. How could Alexander have gotten there so fast?
— You still haven't changed, Darlonakia… Alexander said calmly, his voice cold and imposing.
The attacking silhouette froze. Then, slowly, as if the fog folded around him, the invisible took shape. Seth instinctively stepped back. The man before them had skin pale as marble, light eyes, and emanated an empty, almost intangible aura. The air itself seemed to detach and vibrate around him.
— Alexander… You should never have brought an outsider here, Darlanokia spat. This is a sacred place.
— And you… you should have died, he said while looking at Seth.
Alexander smiled faintly.
— That's no way to welcome visitors, don't you think? You still haven't changed your deep hatred for humans, from what I can see.
Darlan growled and stepped back, but at that moment, a deep, rumbling sound echoed throughout the temple. Alexander felt someone watching them.
A massive door, invisible until now, slowly opened at the far end of the hall, revealing an intense, vibrant light. Every ray seemed to permeate the room, making the molecules around Seth vibrate, giving him the sensation that the temple itself was breathing with them. The air crackled, charged with electricity, and a gentle yet oppressive warmth enveloped him.
— No matter, Darlanokia murmured arrogantly. She knew you would come.
I just wanted to test his reflexes… as she asked, and I was right—humans are infinitely weak…
Before Seth could react, a feminine voice rang out. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Seth's body vibrated, every particle responding to her power.
— Wait…
Suddenly, space seemed to contract and expand simultaneously. An unimaginable pressure materialized before Seth. The ground itself trembled, and gravity appeared to bend around her. Seth felt his body grow heavy. His legs shook, and every one of his senses was overwhelmed by stimuli impossible to filter. Even his thoughts seemed to fade, swallowed by the dragoness's power. Only one thought echoed in his mind:
Danger!
And then, a woman appeared directly before him.
Their eyes met: a blue so deep and piercing that Seth felt every fiber of his being was being read and scrutinized. Her white hair flowed down to the floor like a veil of liquid light. The intoxicating scent surrounding her nearly stole his breath. Her beauty surpassed anything Seth had ever known, even Queen Flora. The pressure became unbearable for him, and then—
CLAP!!!!!!!
Alexander clapped his hands and sighed, and instantly, the dragoness's paralyzing aura dissipated.
— Calm your aura, Obliranca… you know Seth is just a child. You're going to scare him at this rate.
He's not used to encountering dragons of your level.
Once the pressure vanished, Seth collapsed to his knees, spitting saliva, terrified, unable to think clearly. His body trembled as he realized the threat dragons—and especially sacred dragons—posed to humanity.
— Obliranca…? That's… that's her??? What kind of monster is this???? he murmured, nearly incredulous.
— The sacred dragon of spirits… and Alexander and Flora are as strong as her? There are really two others of the same caliber roaming free?????
She gently placed her hand on Seth's shoulder, and at that moment, he felt a soft, healing flow of energy pass through him. His lungs loosened, his head stopped spinning, and for the first time since entering, he could breathe freely without the oppressive aura.
— You're quite a handsome boy, she said with a smile and a voice that was fairy-like, even celestial.
Seth blushed, unable to look away from Obliranca's beauty. Alexander chuckled beside him, amused.
— Forgive me, she continued. My intention wasn't to frighten you… I was so fascinated by you that I forgot my manners. I am Obliranca, sacred dragon of spirits and priestess of the spiritual world. Intercessor of dragons and souls, I am the balance between life and death… Pleased to meet you.
Seth remained silent for a moment, then found the strength to speak.
— I… my name is Seth… he stammered.
She slowly nodded and invited them to follow her into an immense hall where the floor seemed to reflect space itself. The atmosphere became far more pleasant, and what had been a vast expanse of fog transformed into a magnificent, luminous palace of breathtaking elegance. The walls were alive, shimmering runes undulated gently, and colorful mists floated above their heads, suspended in an eternal dance.
Seth was amazed. Vulcan's domain seemed ridiculous compared to Obliranca's. She explained that they were no longer truly in the real world, but rather in the Valley of Spirits, a realm between that of mortals and spirits, with Obliranca's palace serving as a gateway to it.
— Darlan, serve them some tea.
She turned to Seth.
— Forgive his behavior earlier… He doesn't like humans very much.
Seth, curious nonetheless, asked:
— There's something I didn't understand earlier… How… how did he become invisible?
Obliranca smiled.
— Darlanokia is the opal dragon. He controls the invisible and the non-physical… even the intangible. He exists between worlds. You never could have touched him, even if you tried.
Seth looked at Alexander, incredulous.
— Then… how did you…?
Alexander laughed foolishly.
— Sometimes, I manage to touch what isn't supposed to be touched. Nothing more.
Obliranca looked at Alexander with a gentle, crystalline gaze, then thought:
(He is humble, yet he is probably the most powerful being in the universe.)
— Earlier, you mentioned an Abraham as the most powerful of dragons. Is he also stronger than you, Obliranca? Seth asked.
— Yes, she answered simply. Abraham is the oldest dragon in the world. His knowledge and experience would make me an unworthy opponent. The only one who might stand a chance against him in direct confrontation is none other than Alexander.
Seth lowered his eyes, aware of his weakness.
— I… I'm still too weak… he murmured.
Obliranca stared at him for a long moment, then her gaze slowly darkened.
— Alexander… why have you come?
This isn't a simple courtesy visit, I imagine.
A cold light ignited in her blue eyes.
— You know, I had a dream. One where you came here… and I also possess the ability to see the future. But in the future I saw…
Obliranca paused.
— It wasn't with this boy, or at least, he didn't look like this.
Darlan had been defeated at the entrance…
— And yet… today, everything unfolded differently, completely opposite from the future I saw.
The pressure rose abruptly. The air vibrated, the ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.
CRASH!!
The teacup shattered on the floor, exploding into a thousand pieces. Seth instinctively stepped back. The air crackled around them.
Obliranca stared intensely at Seth.
— Why… why can't I probe your mind…? Why can't I see you in any future of this world? Even when I look 500, 1000, 2000 years ahead, you aren't there… you don't exist… so tell me…
— Who are you…? Where do you come from?????
The palace seemed to hold its breath. Even the Fog of Souls shuddered outside, as if answering her call.
Seth… was now at the center of a force far beyond him. Not understanding what was happening, he realized deep within that his life had just shifted into a dimension where nothing would ever be the same, and that from now on, he would have to seriously begin questioning his own origins.
To be continued...