"Understood, Elder!" they exclaimed in unison. They truly resembled puppets moved only by their leader. When not commanded, they would neither speak nor move.
"You must guard him well until the moon Aelurnis reveals itself in the sky. If that time comes and we fail to deliver the offering, you know what will happen to Elyndor afterward."
"Understood, Elder!"
Swallowing harshly, Kaelen could only remain silent upon hearing their conversation. For some reason, he suddenly understood the language they used, even though before he could not comprehend a single word. Yet now something else piqued Kaelen's curiosity, "An offering? Vazyrath? Does this mean they intend to make me a sacrifice for their supreme feminine leader?"
Among the Zorgathr—monsters who possessed their own consciousness and could evolve, born from the first hatred—they would usually choose one supreme leader. A leader with a masculine aura was commonly called a Vazaerakh, while a leader with a feminine aura was called a Vazyrath.
Realizing he was truly in danger, Kaelen's body released spirit vapor. It was an energy in the form of faint flashes of light on his skin, replacing the function of sweat. Spirit vapor could appear when someone felt fear, exhaustion, or any condition in which their body was forced to perspire.
Kaelen forced all his bones to move. No matter what, he had to escape this place immediately. Once the figure Kaelen believed to be the Krixath leader who had been standing nearby moved away, his gaze swept his surroundings once again.
Far behind the row of Krixath now standing with empty pairs, Kaelen could see a place untouched by light. It was located right beneath the layer of the world above. Seeing it made Kaelen begin to think, "If I can get there, I might have a chance to escape. But how can I get past these creatures with my body on the brink of death?"
Kaelen's eyes kept rolling, observing the creatures guarding him like a fence. Then he remembered one thing, "They only move or speak when their leader commands them. Now that the leader has gone, does that mean I can leave without resistance?"
In truth, the man did not have enough courage to test his analysis. But if he did not try, he would only end up as a sacrifice without resistance. So the only way was to find out, even if it risked his life.
Slowly, Kaelen began moving his legs. It hurt, but not as much as when his body was thrown earlier. The man grimaced faintly, almost without a sound, afraid the creatures would notice. He kept watching them while struggling to stand.
When he finally managed to stand, the dozens of Krixath indeed showed no reaction. Curious, Kaelen waved his hand right in front of their faces, but they still did not react. The corners of his lips lifted, giving him confidence, "It seems they really are moved only by command."
Ignoring his caution, Kaelen finally tried walking calmly. Until suddenly a root covered in fine thorns slithered and bound his body, halting his movement. He instantly screamed when the thorns pierced into his flesh, "ARGHH!!"
Realizing his action had been noticed, Kaelen's body stiffened. Reflexively he clamped his mouth shut, though still grimacing slightly. He struggled wildly, trying to break free from the thing, "Why was I still discovered? It doesn't seem like the leader returned here. Could it be they can actually see me and were just waiting for the right moment to capture me?"
"You must not run. The Elder has ordered you to remain still, so you must stay until the time comes," said one of the Krixath, using a root extending from its abdomen to restrain Kaelen.
Just as Kaelen opened his mouth, his body was lifted into the air, right above the bluish-black swamp whose stench alone nearly ruined Kaelen's nose, "My god, what is this smell? Why is it so rotten? Did you eat so many people and dump their corpses here until they decayed?"
Unfortunately, Kaelen's hands, bound tightly against his body, couldn't even cover his nose, "Oh, my god, this is a horrible death. There's no way I can survive until the moon Aelurnis rises above."
After muttering those words, Kaelen felt something was wrong. He suddenly began to think harder.
"But why Aelurnis? Out of the 18 moon phases in Zyretheil, why did they choose Aelurnis?" Kaelen murmured inwardly, once again looking at the creatures who now stood silent like statues.
After that, he gazed upward at the sky studded with stars. Yet tonight there was no moon—of course, because the previous one had just faded not long ago. Only the wait for the new moon remained.
As he kept staring at the sky, Kaelen seemed to receive an enlightenment within himself, "Wait! The moon Aelurnis is the time when inner whispers are heard without end. The inner whispers that, for the first time, we of the Vey'zareth race experience the awakening of the Vaerloch and gain Velhara when we reach the age of fifteen. Are they deliberately taking advantage of that moment? But what advantage could they gain? They've already seen my Elarith was taken by force and I no longer have it."
The Vaerloch itself was a monster planted within every body of the Vey'zareth like Kaelen since birth. Usually, the Vaerloch would remain dormant for 15 years within the body. And after 15 years, it would slowly begin to awaken. If it fully awakened, it would take over the body of the Vey'zareth and turn them into a complete monster. The identity of the Vey'zareth would no longer exist.
Meanwhile, Velhara was the level of attunement between the Vey'zareth race and the Vaerloch within them. The higher the attunement, the higher the risk and power possessed by the Vey'zareth. However, when a Vey'zareth managed to fully attain Velhara, at that moment their Vaerloch would merge with their flesh to create a new form—neither Vey'zareth nor Vaerloch.
Yet such a feat was nearly impossible. Kaelen had never even heard of anyone surpassing all Velhara to become a new form.
"With my current condition, it's impossible for me to escape. Especially since they're not letting me go at all. The only way might be to awaken the Vaerloch within me. Even if it's risky because I haven't reached the proper age, I must do something. I can't just sit here waiting for death."
For a moment Kaelen fell silent, appearing to regulate his breathing steadily. He felt the energy in his body, flowing chaotically because his Elarith had been seized—or perhaps destroyed.
"Before this, my magic core was light. I was a knight with the element of light. But after my Elarith was taken, I no longer have a magic core and am no longer a knight. So to awaken the Vaerloch within me, perhaps I must access the power of darkness. But how can I step into darkness in this condition?"
Briefly, Kaelen glanced at the creatures. How they stood on four thin, spiked legs, how their abdomens bore large jagged orbs, and how their three large eyes blinked so slowly, one after another. He then took a deep breath, "If this continues, I could really die without doing anything."
"Help! Let me go! Please, put me down! Hey, please! Help me, help!" Kaelen seemed desperate, until he finally screamed loudly. Even though he knew, in this terrifying place that was among the Forbidden Zones, who would come to save him?
Until one of the Krixath who had been standing not far away approached and immediately slapped the Krixath using its root to hang Kaelen.
"What are you doing? Before the moon Aelurnis rises, the offering must not be placed above the Kulthar swamp. That violates Elyndor's rules!" shouted the newcomer. "Release him at once!"