"But he intended to escape. How will we face the Elder later if the sacrifice goes missing?"
"Then how will we face Vazyrath Mudrienne if the sacrifice's power weakens, just because you dragged him over the Kulthar Swamp before the time arrived?!"
Without waiting any longer, that figure immediately pulled Kaelen's body with his magic, bringing the man back onto the grass-covered ground. Throwing his body so that Kaelen once again fell, he rolled on the ground several meters away from them.
"Ouch," Kaelen muttered.
After saying that, one of the roots once again slithered, dragging Kaelen's body back into their midst, with them forming a protective fence around him.
Kaelen sat there again, but this time he felt something odd. When he was thrown far just now, for a few seconds, they did not act at all. But when Kaelen groaned, only then did they drag his body back into the center.
Even when recalled, when he screamed earlier someone only approached afterwards. Yet that creature had already been there among them, under the great lush tree. But why did he only pull Kaelen after he screamed? If it was truly a mistake, shouldn't he have scolded that other Krixath from the start, when Kaelen was placed above the swamp they called the Kulthar Swamp?
From all of this, Kaelen could only conclude one thing, "They cannot see, they can only hear."
To confirm his assumption, which Kaelen was 98% certain was correct this time, he stood once more. He waved his hand in front of their eyes, and they did not react. Then, deliberately, he stepped on a broken branch beneath him, and Kaelen was shocked after seeing their expressions.
"Do not try to escape. Elyndor is not a place where you can walk out alive. So it would be best for you to accept your fate as our sacrifice," said one of the creatures.
At that very second Kaelen felt that his analysis was indeed correct. Yet as he tried to step slowly, the pain in his chest pierced even deeper and became unbearable. Kaelen struggled not to scream, he only grimaced, his face twisted in pain. But the longer it went on, the more the pain spread until his head felt as though it would explode.
"ARGHHHH!!!"
Kaelen's scream startled the beasts and flying monsters that lived in the highest layer of Xal'zarioth. The creatures guarding around him also began to crowd closer. "What's wrong? Are you frustrated?"
"My chest… Arghhh!! It hurts so much!! AAAA!!!"
Kaelen could hardly bear such excruciating pain within his body. Until, when everything nearly went black, his blurred vision caught sight of a faint mist gathering, then forming into a strange shape he did not recognize.
"Don't die!"
---
Breathing heavily, the man in tattered clothes kept running, ignoring the pain in his chest and the back of his spine. Every so often he would glance back to make sure none of the creatures were following him.
Kaelen stumbled several times over rocks or even just dry branches, yet he always forced himself back to his feet though his body was already covered with scratches and wounds.
When he finally felt safe enough, he stopped for a moment behind a large boulder to steady his heavy breathing. Kaelen bent down slightly, with spirit vapor becoming more and more visible around his body.
"It seems they're no longer chasing me," he muttered, still panting.
His memory drifted back to a short while ago, when he awoke again bound to a massive tree. At that time, Kaelen did not see a single creature standing guard. So Kaelen took that chance to escape. But of course, things did not go so easily.
"With my strength drained and without even a gift, it's impossible for me to get out alive. Right now, I'm relying entirely on my wits," Kaelen muttered as he looked around the truly empty surroundings.
"The voice that shouted within me yesterday, telling me not to die, that must have been my Vaerloch's voice," he added again.
He stared down at his chest, still bearing a hole with dried blood. Then his gaze shifted to the sky, which had begun to show its light. "I only have two days and two nights left to obtain a new Elarith. If not, I will surely die."
After wracking his brain for some time, the man finally came to one possibility, "They will make me a sacrifice precisely at the time of the Aelurnis moon. The moon when the inner whispers are constantly heard by the Vey'zareth who have yet to awaken their Vaerloch and receive their first Velhara. If I'm not mistaken, they may only be targeting those whose curse hasn't yet awakened. That means I am not included in the criteria they're seeking."
"Which means if I can prove my Vaerloch has already awakened, then there is a chance I can escape from here. And the only way I can think of right now is… to ask for help from my Vaerloch," he muttered with a serious expression. "I've never heard anyone say this before, not even my father. But I have no choice. Even if I die, at least I've tried and not just sat idly waiting for the end."
Kaelen had no idea how to communicate with his Vaerloch. This was his first awakening—in fact, more precisely, he was forcing it—and he was trapped here alone. More precisely, deliberately thrown here.
Kaelen focused, trying to channel inner energy even though his Elarith had been stolen. His gift before this was as a knight of the light element. So he did his best to gather the sunlight in his mind, then let it flow freely.
"Are you a fool? If you continue this, it will all end. You will die!"
Kaelen ignored that whisper. He continued doing exactly what he intended. Even though he realized that since the Vaerloch's voice had been heard continuously, it likely meant he had already managed to awaken it. But this time, Kaelen not only needed to awaken it, he needed to meet it face to face.
Until moments later, Kaelen's body weakened completely. Suddenly, he found himself in an empty place. Truly empty, with nothing but himself walking through the void.
Kaelen swallowed hard, even the sound of his footsteps echoed loudly. Yet he forced himself to face his own fear.
"Vaerloch! I know you are inside my consciousness, inside my body. I need your help this time," he shouted halfway. There was no answer, only his own voice echoing back at him.
But the man did not give up. He continued walking slowly while observing his surroundings. "I'm not asking for your help for free. I know there will be a price to pay for everything I ask today. And I am not someone who breaks promises, not after what happened that led me to end up here in Xal'zarioth."
Kaelen lowered his head, his memory flashing back to the moments before he came to this place. The image of people abandoning him, deliberately throwing him away, even destroying his Elarith just because he bore the most sought-after gift. It shook his heart until, without him realizing, a silhouette appeared before him—one with vast wings and a long tail.
It did not reveal its true form; what stood before Kaelen was only a shadow forming the figure of something flapping its enormous wings. So large, that even the wind from its flaps brushed across Kaelen's face, though what stood there was only a silhouette.
"How dare you enter your own consciousness. Even at a time when I should not yet be awakened, why do you still dare show yourself before me?" The voice rumbled like thunder in the sky, deafening to anyone who heard it—including Kaelen.
The silhouette drew closer to Kaelen, who remained frozen, his body trembling slightly. "Do you know what risks you and I will both face for your recklessness today?"