"I... do not even know what to say." Emma’s voice trembled as she stood before him.
William was being equipped by a soldier, straps tightened across his chest, tal buckles clicking into place.
Inside the room, apart from the two of them, Dolla and Jeromy were present as well. It had been Dolla who pushed for this decision, insisting William was the best choice for the mission, despite Commander Abaris’ firm objection.
William exhaled slowly. "I know you are worried, Emma, but—"
"I understand," she interrupted softly.
She knew trying to stop him would only make things harder.
But that did not an she could let him go without words.
"You have to swear on my life that you will not endanger yourself, William," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her fingers. "Because if sothing happens to you, I will not hesitate. I will walk into that place myself and let the darkness swallow too."
William did not look surprised.
He simply stared into her eyes.
There was no hysteria there. No exaggeration.
Only cold certainty.
He did not doubt her.
He could not even imagine what she might do if he failed to return.
Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I swear on your life that I will co back safely."
He was determined to find his father. He would do everything in his power to bring him back.
But now, there was soone waiting for him.
That alone forced him to be careful.
He finished preparing. A few daggers were secured at his waist, a protective vest fastened tightly, boots strapped firmly to help him move across damp and unstable ground.
When it was ti, he pulled Emma into one last embrace.
He held her tightly, as though trying to pour every unspoken emotion into that single hug.
"Here he is," Dolla announced.
A young man in his early twenties with short black hair stepped into the room.
"He will be your escape route," she added, moving closer to him. "William, this is Dennis. And Dennis... you already know who he is."
Dennis extended his hand. William shook it firmly.
"I will make sure we return safely," Dennis said with quiet confidence.
William only gave a short nod.
A mont later, Commander Abaris entered the room.
"I understand that your priority is finding your father," he began, his tone firm. "But this will not be a single attempt. Dennis can use his ability multiple tis. If things begin to feel abnormal while you think you are close to him, you will retreat imdiately."
Jeromy agreed. "We do not yet know what kind of entity we are dealing with. On this first entry, your focus should be on surveying the terrain."
William did not argue.
But he had already ford his own intentions.
He stepped toward Emma, leaned down, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Wait for ," he whispered.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.
Dennis glanced at Dolla. She gave him a subtle signal.
Follow him.
Emma remained where she stood, her arms folded tightly across herself.
The warmth of his lips still lingered on her skin. His scent still surrounded her.
And she prayed that before those traces faded, William would return to her.
....
Dennis followed closely behind William, checking the straps of his pouch and the vials secured at his belt.
After a mont, he glanced at him. "You are not carrying any weapons?"
William shook his head. "I am a mage."
Dennis humd in understanding. "Miss Dolla has spoken about you quite a lot. I would say she is a fan."
William gave him a sideways look. "Fan?"
Dennis smiled wryly. "Perhaps that is an exaggeration. But she does hold you in very high regard."
William was not surprised.
Dolla had overseen the entire Goblet of Honor incident. She had witnessed him battle countless devils and endure the assault of a General-ranked one. She knew what he was capable of.
Back then, she had even argued against Jeromy and Abaris to secure his involvent in this operation.
The original team must have already been selected.
But Dolla had changed that.
Soon, they reached the bridge that connected the mainland to the island.
Soldiers were stationed everywhere. So patrolled on foot, while others hovered in the air, maintaining surveillance from above.
Dennis let out a quiet breath. "Who would have thought the world could change so suddenly? It feels like things are getting worse with each passing day."
After a pause, he added, "That is why I confessed to my girlfriend. I plan to marry her once we return."
"Good for you," William replied simply, not slowing his pace or turning his head.
Dennis did not take offense.
In truth, he was speaking just to steady his nerves.
He was incredibly nervous.
At the far end of the bridge, a soldier stepped forward and stopped them.
He handed each of them a small leather pouch.
Dennis frowned and opened his. Inside rested a pink crystal, faintly glowing.
"What is this?" he asked.
"An aether heart," the soldier replied. "It releases a steady flow of aether to counterbalance the Nyx in the air. It will prevent you from collapsing once you step inside."
Dennis swallowed hard.
Prevent you from collapsing.
Just how dense was the corruption beyond this point?
William said nothing. He secured the pouch at his waist without hesitation.
"Shall we?" he asked calmly.
Dennis drew in a long breath. His fingers tightened around the pouch before he gave a firm nod.
"Yeah."
And together, they stepped forward toward the island.
The mont their boots crossed the threshold of the island, the world changed.
It was subtle at first.
The wind stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
As if the air itself had grown cautious.
Rot.
Not the ordinary decay of dead leaves or damp soil, but sothing far older. A thick, tallic stench mixed with sothing sour and suffocating, like blood left too long beneath a burning sun. It clung to the inside of their noses and coated their tongues.
Dennis gagged lightly. "What the hell..."
William did not respond.
He felt it.
The Nyx.
It was not drifting through the air. It has beco one with it.
Heavy. Dense. Almost liquid.
Each breath felt like dragging mud into his lungs. The aether heart at his waist pulsed faintly, releasing a thin veil of warmth around him, but even then, the pressure remained. His skin prickled as if invisible hands were pressing against every inch of him.
The sky above the island was not fully dark, yet it seed dimr than the mainland. The clouds here moved differently. Slower and lower. They churned in tight spirals as though circling sothing unseen beneath them.
The soil had turned a sickly gray-black, cracked in jagged veins that pulsed faintly with a dim violet glow. Dead trees stood scattered across the landscape, their trunks twisted unnaturally, bark peeled away as if sothing had clawed at them from within. So leaned at impossible angles, roots half exposed, as though the land itself had rejected them.
A few ters ahead lay what must have once been a watch post. It was partially sunken into the soil, its wooden structure warped and sagging. The tal parts had rusted at an unnatural rate, corroded into brittle fragnts despite not being old enough for such decay.
William crouched slightly and touched the soil.
The mont his fingers brushed it, a thin thread of Nyx slithered upward like smoke disturbed from still water. It coiled briefly before dissolving into the air.
William could feel his body automatically producing more aether, pushing back against the pressure. The balance inside him strained but held. A newly awakened mage would have collapsed within seconds here. Even trained soldiers would struggle without the aether heart.
"Umm... c-can we head back now?" Dennis stamred, his face drained of color. "Going any deeper feels like we are risking our lives."
The aether heart at his waist glowed fiercely, reacting to the overwhelming Nyx pressing against them from all directions.
William did not look at him.
"Remain silent. Stand there."
Before Dennis could protest, William sat down cross-legged on the corrupted soil.
"Are you insane—"
William’s body lifted a few inches off the ground.
Dennis froze.
The air around William shifted. Within his core, aether and Nyx rotated in careful balance, but this ti he deliberately allowed Nyx to flood a greater portion of his magic circuits.
The pressure thickened.
Instead of resisting the darkness, he let it pass through him.
His telekinesis expanded outward in a widening sphere, brushing against the land, sinking through soil, weaving between roots and stone.
At first, he heard only Dennis.
A chaotic stream of panicked thoughts.
This is madness. He is reckless. We are going to die here.
William frowned slightly.
Then—
Other thoughts.
Faint.
Broken.
Not words ford by logic.
Cries.
Help.
Save us.
The ntal echoes pulsed from beneath them.
William’s breathing steadied as he followed the direction of those desperate signals. They were clustered. Compressed.
Buried.
He exhaled and opened his eyes.
Dennis stepped closer. "Did you find sothing?"
William did not answer.
He rose higher into the air, his expression calm, untouched by strain. The Nyx around him swirled as though drawn toward his presence rather than repelled.
The ground beneath them began to tremble.
Cracks widened.
Soil split apart in jagged lines as unseen force gripped sothing deep below.
Dennis stumbled backward. "What are you doing—"
With a violent rupture, a massive pod burst from the earth.
It was ford of compacted soil, its surface hardened like stone, thick dark vines wrapped tightly around it as if binding whatever lay inside.
The structure thudded onto the corrupted land before them.
The cries grew louder in William’s mind.
They were coming from within.
People hadn’t t their demise. Which ant...there was hope.
°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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