dhibooks Chapter 156: Into the Realm [2]
Chapter 156: Into the Realm [2]
Cael and Junior landed on one of the water blocks, the cold night air pressing against his face.
Below him, the water blocks shifted and ground against each other like sheets of broken ice. The pillar of light pulsed beneath the surface, straining against the sealing formation.
Then Cael asked with a tight voice,
"How should I open a hole in the formation? After all, we have already wasted a minute of the five."
Junior shook his head and said,
"I don’t know. All I know is that the moonlight will guide us."
Cael sighed. The answer was not helpful at all. Still, he raised his hand and summoned his Moonlight element, pushing it outward toward the water blocks below.
Silver light gathered in his palm, then spread across the surface.
Nothing happened. The water blocks remained still. The pillar of light continued its silent struggle.
’Moonlight will guide us, huh.’
Cael turned away from the water and looked up at the night sky.
The full moon hung directly above, a perfect silver disc against the black expanse. Its light cascaded down, illuminating the ocean below in a soft, pale glow.
The same light that had guided sailors for millennia. The same light that now might guide him into the deep.
He activated Thought Partition. His mind split into three streams. One focused on the water blocks below. Another analyzed the moonlight above. The third considered the connection between them.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, an idea formed.
Cael took a deep breath and began to merge his Moonlight element with the moonlight falling from the sky.
Not pushing his own mana outward, not forcing his will upon the water. But blending. Harmonizing. Becoming part of the same light that already covered the ocean.
The water block directly beneath his feet shook.
Cael smiled and murmured slightly,
"I got it."
With that realization, he pushed more of his Moonlight element into the surrounding moonlight.
Cael also learned that the denser the moonlight became, the stronger the shaking grew. The water blocks trembled.
Cracks formed along their edges.
Without hesitation, Cael gathered all the moonlight he could command and compressed it into a single point.
Silver light condensed, growing brighter and brighter until it was almost too painful to look at. He aimed it at the water block below.
-Crack.
Like ice under a heavy boot, the water block began to split. A single fracture ran across its surface.
Beside him, Junior watched with anticipation, his blind eyes somehow fixed on the point of light.
Then, like a spider web spreading across glass, more cracks appeared. Existing fractures widened. The water block groaned under the pressure.
-BANG.
The water block shattered.
A hole opened in the sealing formation.
-WHOOSH.
The pillar of light erupted through the gap, surging upward like a living thing breaking free from chains.
It enveloped Cael and Junior before they could react, swallowing them in a column of blinding white radiance.
Cael did not know what was happening. His senses were overwhelmed. His vision was white. His ears rang with a sound that was not quite sound.
But he knew one thing.
Something was pulling him downward. Into the deep.
His instinct screamed at him to resist. To fight. To push back against whatever force was dragging him down. His muscles tensed. His mana surged.
Then Cael heard Junior softly saying,
"It’s okay, don’t resist it."
Cael looked at the blind boy beside him. Junior’s expression was calm and peaceful.
Then Cael let go of his resistance. He let the pulling sensation take him. He allowed the pillar of light to drag him down into the deep.
As he fell, or perhaps floated, or perhaps moved in a way that had no name, he looked up.
Through the pillar of light, he could see the surface above. The water blocks that had sealed the realm for so long were cracking.
One by one, more and more of them shattered under the pressure of the escaping light.
The pillar that had been contained for millions of years was now free, dashing into the skies above.
Then, perhaps because Thought Partition was still active, a thought crossed Cael’s mind.
The amount of energy and power the pillar of light contained was immense. Enormous. Beyond anything he had ever sensed.
And yet, instead of sending him and Junior upward, toward the sky, the source of the pillar was dragging them downward.
Toward the deep, toward the realm.
Cael did not know the reason.
But all he thought was...
’Was this also a contradiction? ...Maybe not.’
The light consumed his vision. The pressure surrounded him. And then, there was only darkness.
....
Far away from the ocean, in a certain borderland region, an [Origin] ranker stood among a group of [Adamant] rankers.
They had been discussing something of great importance, their voices low, their expressions grave.
Then suddenly,
-WHOOSH.
A pillar of light dashed toward the moon itself, as if it intended to destroy it.
The [Origin] ranker’s eyes widened as his discussion with others was ignored. His breath caught in his throat.
"What happened?"
Under his disbelieving gaze, the pillar of light glowed majestically. It contained power that was neither mana nor miasma.
Something else. Something older. Something that had not been seen in centuries.
Realization dawned on the [Origin] ranker. His face paled.
"T-that’s a realm!" he exclaimed.
"A realm has opened! Quick, contact headquarters!"
Similar scenes unfolded across the Council’s various headquarters. In meeting rooms. In war chambers. In private offices where the highest-ranking officials gathered.
’This time, we must obtain the artifact. No matter the cost.’
The thought passed through countless human rankers like a shared prayer.
...
Far away from the borderlands, on a certain island, a massive architectural wonder rose against the night sky. Spires of black stone. Walls of crimson marble. Windows that glowed with an inner fire.
Inside the building, on a high seat carved from the skull of some ancient beast, the Vampire King opened his eyes.
His irises were red, deep as spilled blood. His skin was pale, almost translucent. His fingers, long and sharp, tapped against the armrest of his throne.
He understood what was happening in mere seconds. The pillar of light. The surge of energy. The opening of a realm.
He rose from his seat, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Mobilize all elite forces. We, vampires, will obtain the artifact. The fate of our kind depends on it."
...
On a different continent, where miasma was everywhere, and the air was thick with decay, corrupted monsters roamed freely.
They hunted each other. They ate each other. They lived only to consume.
A certain middle-aged man stood among them. Two horns grew from his head, curving backward like a ram’s. His eyes were inverted, the whites where the pupils should be, the pupils where the whites should be.
He wore no shirt. His chest was bare, marked with scars and old wounds. In his hand, he held a bow carved from blackened bone.
He had just killed a corrupted wolf. His arrow had pierced its skull, and now he lifted the carcass to his mouth and began chewing.
Blood poured from his lips, dripping down his chin, staining his bare chest.
Then the pillar of light dashed toward the moon.
The Wraith King paused his eating. The wolf’s blood continued to flow, but he did not notice. His inverted eyes were fixed on the sky.
Then he laughed.
"Hahahaha... finally! If we obtain that artifact, then those inferior mana beings will kneel before us."
...
Inside Everbright Academy, Elowyn lay on her bed after an intense training session. Her muscles ached. Her breathing was slow, steady.
The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window.
Then she turned her head toward the window and saw it. A pillar of light, rising from somewhere far away, dashing toward the moon.
"What’s that?"
She muttered to herself.
A voice answered her from the mirror beside her bed.
"That is a realm opening."
Elowyn turned. In the mirror’s reflection, standing beside her own image, was the Sovereign of Red Heart, whose eyes were fixed on the pillar of light.
Then the Sovereign smiled and said,
"Looks like we need to speed up a few things."
...
Inside Karyal City, in a certain hotel room, Luke stood frozen by the window.
He was shocked. Shock was truly an understatement. He was shaken to his very core.
"This is... how is this possible?"
As a regressor, Luke knew many major events that would happen. He had lived through this timeline before. He had memorized the key moments, the critical turning points, the events that could not be changed.
But the opening of a realm? That had never happened.
He pressed his palm against the cold glass of the window, staring at the pillar of light.
"What is happening? Why is this happening?"
As someone who wanted to be in control, he was frustrated. He had planned. He had prepared. He had done everything right.
And yet, without warning, without explanation, the future was shifting again and again.
He clenched his fists.
"I... I need to find Death Valley as soon as possible."
...
Neither Cael nor Junior could have foreseen the consequences of their actions.
They had both underestimated the value of an artifact.
Junior was someone who had his own artifact, the Heavenly Book. He had seen many artifacts in the medieval era. To him, an artifact was rare, yes, but not world-shattering.
As for Cael, he did not know of the true prowess of an artifact. He knew they were powerful. He knew they were sought after. But he did not truly understand.
Well, even if he did know the consequences of his actions...
He doesn’t care anyway.