Ophieus continues ahead and pushes away any questions appearing. Staying in this forest wasn't ideal and whatever ended those people might find him soon. Looking ahead, he saw the fog was still very thick even after walking for a while and with no sign of thinning out.
Ophieus blinked as he felt he stepped on something soft and looked down to see light-blue smoke rising. He narrowed his eyes and saw it was one of those shadow creatures from before. He knelt down to see small craters, cracks, and toppled trunks on the ground.
'Did they come through here?' Ophieus thought as he kept moving, half-expecting another abomination to leap out.
It was then Ophieus stopped and blinked as he saw shadow on the ground. He quickly moved forward, wondering if it's more people like before. And he did see countless bodies, but they weren't people but dead creatures.
The same wolf-creatures he had fought before had their forms twisted and broken. Some had gaping holes in their sides and chest while others were crushed with their limbs bent at unnatural angles.
Ophieus stepped closer and then he saw another creature other than the ones he fought before. The creatures had black feathers but the rest of their forms were lost in the hidden and obscured by the fog.
He stared at the dark feathers that were scattered and clump in black mist. Ophieus tried to make out more, but the fog hid everything except the shape of their shattered wings.
Then above the bodies, words appeared in the air and surprised Ophieus. It was similar to the silver light screen but it was smaller and hovered above the bodies.
[Beast Festival]
For the feathered creatures when he glanced at them, a different word hovered.
[Black Feather]
And beneath both of them was another word but smaller but even more chilling.
[Abomination]
Ophieus felt a chill down his spine as he furrowed his brows. He moved toward the bodies and knelt down to one of the Black Festival bodies. Its ribs were shattered with their being multiple holes but when he looked further.
There weren't any organs.
All he saw was shadow tendrils and light blue smoke slowly rising up from the hole.
'So they aren't your standard living beings… And I'm in a forest with them.' Ophieus thought as he moved a finger across the wolf's fur and felt how cold it was. He glanced at the Black Feather creature beside it and moved one hand towards the feather that was still shining.
He noted how hard it was before plucking it out and inspecting it. Ophieus saw purple lines through the feather and a faint smoke on the edges making him wonder if all Abomination had that strange smoke.
He released the feather, watching as it drifted through the fog towards the ground as he sighed.
"Did they fight each other," Ophieus muttered, as he held his chin. "Or is there another Abomination here?" He glanced at the trees that had claw marks, holes, and others that looked more like the work of a hammer. "Maybe… there are other people here."
Ophieus stood, dusting off his hands but then a thought appeared. He pulled his sword free and raised it in front of his face.
Then he saw it, another silver screen similar to one that display above the dead bodies but this time it was floating in front of him.
[Dark Animas]
[Straight Sword - Medium Range]
[Pitch-black straight sword of the Deathless Warriors of the Kingdom of Hyzlit]
"So it really does work this… But what is this description? Can the screen even tell me about where Animas came from?" Ophieus muttered before then glance down at his white jacket.
[Yin-Yang Gate]
[Medium Armor]
[Armor crafted by the white priestess who pray to the Astral Realm]
"Okay, so it can identify anything as well. But what are Deathless Warriors, Hyzlit, Astral Realm, and White Priestess?" Ophieus shook his head. "Just from this feature alone more questions have appeared… Not sure how to feel about it."
He then glanced back at Dark Animas, and his eyes widened as he saw an option appeared below the description.
[Put away the sword?]
Ophieus tilted his head before nodding his head and then he saw Dark Animas shining before it dispersed. He closed his hand and opened it back up, surprised to really see the black sword was really gone.
"Silver Key, what was that?" Ophieus asked in his mind.
[Master you have a storage feature, where you can put away items and summon them when you need them.]
Ophieus fell silent for a moment before he waved his hand, leading to a silvery light to shine. Before then a black sword appeared in his hand with streaks and a trail of glittering lights.
He nodded with a smile, already seeing how helpful this will be in the future and even in battle. He then had Dark Animas disappear once more and then continued walking forward through the foggy forest.
The fog thickened making Ophieus glance at how it swirled around his ankles and climbing up his leg. It looked like tendrils but the good thing was that they weren't locking his movements.
Every few steps he walked the fog would part, only to close in behind him and obscuring his trail.
"It would be great if I could see what was below…" Ophieus muttered as he glanced down but only saw fog as he tried to see the ground.
As Ophieus kept walking, the ground beneath him was uneven and cracked, making him slow down his pace a bit more. The sounds of leaves crunching and branches snapping with a splatting sound ringing out.
"This doesn't seem like a normal battle. It even reached this far?" Ophieus mutters as his eyes land on a massive trunk with claw marks.
Then he glanced to the right to see a fallen tree, its branches torn off and trunk smashed into pieces. Golden eyes narrowed, he saw dried black stains coating the wood, and a light blue smoke spreading out before fading out.
The stains on the tree seem to cling to it, spreading out like tendrils with some part dripping through the fog.
Ophieus moved close to the tree, grasping the right side of the massive trunk. Then sunk his grip into it, piercing into the wood before his muscles began to flex beneath his shirt and jacket. Then he began raising his right arm, leading to the ground to slightly shake and then the trunk was lifted up.
Then he tossed it to the left off the path as if he was just throwing a branch. Once the trunk landed, it shook the ground, scattering smaller twigs and sending a ripple through the fog.
Then Ophieus continued moving forward but then slightly frowning as he found another barrier. It was a massive log lying across the path and on top of it was a tangled mess of shattered branches.
He didn't even slow down as his leg lashed out, smashing the tangled mess into pieces and then breaking the log apart. This led to pieces tumbling and scattering through the fog. But these weren't the only times he would occasionally meet the same thing.
The forest area was torn apart as if by claws, markings of something slashing through the ground and trees. Then there were deep scars through the ground, bushes shredded and leaves stained blacked.
Some trees stood at unnatural angles, roots exposed and reaching for air, their trunks bending at the side as if something crashed through it.
"Huh? Blood?" Ophieus eyes spotted a massive pool of liquid on the ground and some scars on the trees. "So, there are more humans here? But were they fighting all of these Abominations?"
Ophieus moved forward, stepping over a shattered stump and his foot landed on a piece of bark. Ignoring the black liquid on it as he began walking faster through the fog.
Another cluster of bodies came into view, even with the fog around them. All the gray bushes, leaves and trees were stained black with smoke curling around them. But he passed them before coming to another clearing cracks on the ground and all the trees broken.
But what caught his attention was the massive Abomination with the head of a skull, wolf and bird. Its body was crushed, black feathers scattered, and wings twisted at impossible angles.
Ophieus approached, stepping carefully over the wreckage and then closed in on the Abomination. He could see a faint glow emanating above and then another silver screen appeared before him.
[Black Feather]
[Beast Festival]
[Abomination]
"Could they have been crushed together?" Ophieus hummed as he glanced at the screen as he moved around the Abomination. Just as he did this, a golden hand burst from the fog and closed around his face.
The golden hands gripped Ophieus face before he felt his body lifting off the ground and then being hurled through the air. He crashed to the ground hard, rolling across the grass before he pushed himself up.
Even as the impact knocked the breath from his lungs and head slightly spinning, he quickly summoned Dark Animas.
He looked around, to see he landed in an open area with the fog pushed back in a wide circle. The grass here was thick and green instead of gray with vivid blues and pink flowers that glowed with a light.
Ophieus rose to his feet, his golden eyes moving from the flower and staring ahead. Just as he began to hear the sounds of something stomping with the ground slightly shaking and trees trembling in the fog.