Staring up at the giant black rock face, I frowned before taking a deep breath, my mind made up.
For the ti being, until I could confirm either of my theories, I would remain close to this wall and travel along it, towards my loves.
I had a direction to go, and for the ti being this wall was closer to them then if I returned to the stone pillar forest behind .
With no real idea about my location, I needed to try my hardest to gain every advantage that I could during these unknown tis, and having a guaranteed wall to protect was comforting.
Nothing could go through this wall, so I only had to worry about things to my front, right, and behind as I traveled Northwards, the wall to my left.
Lugging those ice chests behind , I continued my travels without much trouble, the only interesting thing being the site of an Arctic Cor diving down to snatch up one of those deer, staining the snow red with the poor animals blood.
Past that, nothing really happened as I traveled; no animals searched for , the weather remained steady with a light shower of flurries, and the winds were calm.
All in all, it was more relaxing than anything else, and I found it ironic that my heart was more at ease here then back at the fortress.
This serene atmosphere and knowledge that there were no mortals near , for now, was rather soothing compared to constantly needing to be on guard against so traitorous Elven bastards...
Sighing, I glanced around at the dark snowscape around before settling in for the night, my trustworthy cube sheltering from the elents.
Taking care of all of my bodily needs, I fell asleep before resuming the journey towards the North.
During these long, boring walks that went on for days, I began to notice that the surroundings were beginning to change.
The pillars were shortening and thinning out, while they beca more sporadic, no longer so tightly clustered together.
Besides that, the wildlife changed slightly as well; I no longer saw Arctic Cor's flying around, and the predators here seed to be a variant of Bears; lush white fur that was ho to sharp icicles sprouting from their backs let know that they weren't just 'Bears' but so kind of monster.
However, nothing else changed besides that; the climate was the sa, the weather the sa, and the wildlife stayed the sa as well.
There was only those Bear Monsters that changed things up, but it wasn't... drastic.
With this new influx of information, I tried to desperately recall all the classes we had on the Labyrinthian with Professor Xiant, as well as the passages in those damned textbooks he made us read...
Sifting through that information helped to stave off boredom and better my mood as I began to piece together a little more of this intricate puzzle.
See, inside the Labyrinthian, anything goes.
Now, what does that an?
It was a rather common saying inside the books and by Professor Xiant himself, but now I needed to understand that better.
The first, and most obvious way to take 'anything goes' is that there is no way to verify anything that might happen inside the Labyrinthian, hence 'anything goes'.
But, there were also differing accounts of the interior of the Labyrinthian; so groups claid that a spot a mile to the East was a barren desert, with sprawling sand dunes and a scorching heat, but another group re months later claid it was actually a verdant forest, filled with lush vegetation and teeming with wildlife.
So what if 'anything goes' is ant to be quite literal?
Simply put, the Labyrinthian is the embodint of 'anything goes'?
Does Section A feel like being a desert today?
Aweso!
But what about tomorrow?
Oh, it wants to be a forest filled with life?
Amazing!
If that's the case, then maybe I am outside of the Labyrinthian; the reason that there is so little information about it is because of that fact?
I an, currently the world around is... 'stagnant', or 'unchanging'.
The snowy landscape and giant pillars are all... rather 'permanent' features, so what if I am outside the Labyrinthian?
That thought would bring so much relief, but I needed to verify that further.
After all, those reports were roughly a month apart, and it led to the saying 'Anything goes inside the Labyrinthian'.
So what if I am inside the Labyrinthian and this area has so form of... permanence?
It's a habitat for an important, incredibly strong monster that requires snow?
Growling softly as I glanced at the black slate beside , I paused as I reached one of the marble veins, the translucent, shimring surface giving a good look at myself.
Seeing the bags under my eyes, the lengthened bangs and sideburns, tired expression and pursed lips, I chuckled at the sight of myself before glancing at the sky.
Letting the snowflakes drift down on my skin, I took a deep breath of the crisp air and cleared my mind, sending the two different theories away for the mont.
If I continued over analyzing each and every small detail I saw or rembered, I would go insane.
For now, I needed to continue forwards and keep myself prepared for both outcos, to better improve my odds of survival.
Each piece of this puzzle was enough to drive to insanity, as the outcos were... frightening, to say the least.
However, I would like to think that I could keep my own puzzle together; the puzzle that made up, each piece being sothing important to .
Besides, when it ca to insanity, I... guess I might just know a thing or two about it.
After all, I would be considered a rather... troubleso, ntally unstable woman if I was back in my world; a danger to those around , all because I craved a few things more then others...
Well...
Grinning to myself, I happily humd as I patted the broad dagger on my hip, the familiar weight of such a heavy blade easing my thirst.
The thrill I felt as I used this beauty's keen edge to slice into flesh was just so... euphoric.
The screams and blood that poured from soone's body as I cut into them...
Ah, I miss it already~
~~~
Nirinia PoV, Days Prior
Taking a deep breath, I leaned back tiredly into my chair, staring down at the golden 'mane' of the injured Lioness, her usually pale skin even whiter than normal.
Her breathing was slightly ragged, and she was constantly sweating, the pain wracking her body from the eight different wounds - four entry, four exits - taking its toll on her even still.
They had been closed with Lady Leone's help, but the internal damages lingered even still, and the current healers were struggling to keep her stable, let alone back to tip top shape.
"Adelina..."
Muttering her na, I sighed as continued to look over her, my mind dull and tired from the consecutive days spent remaining by her side.
I was fucking livid, pissed, annoyed, hateful, exhausted, irritated, and so much more as I stared at her, but each ti she let out a weak cry or a pained gasp, those emotions were washed away, replaced with worry, nervousness, and... sothing else.
The constant bouncing around emotionally was wearing at as well, and I tried my hardest to not snap whenever the healers ca in and attempted to heal her, their pitiful attempts enraging more and more.
That was instantly turned inwards, as I realized that my own actions to keep her safe were pitiful; there were all kinds of signs that traitors might be inside the Legion, and yet I haughtily believed myself to be enough to protect everyone from everything.
Not only that, but I believed in Adelina Leonisa as a Commander and a Warrior; no matter our relationship, or lack thereof, as two individuals, I could only respect her capabilities as a Legion Commander and a Warrior.
I thought she could handle herself, that she would co out of this as unscathed as she usually did; I had only seen it once, but her bare body was still as flawless as a babes, and I believed it would always be so.
Now, eight ugly scars marred her usually smooth skin, and it was all-
Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fists on the edges of my chairs armrests, almost shattering the velvet covered wood.
It's already happened, Nirinia.
Stop blaming yourself and others; nothing will change from this point forwards.
She DID get injured, so deal with that first, you stupid Djinn-Orc.
As I was about to get up, soone opened the doors and entered, and I opened my mouth to berate the healers lateness when my jaw fell slack, the visitor surprising imnsely.
Lady D'Arcon, the third wife of the Empress, stood at the doors before , her gentle expression soothing my heart unconsciously.
Draped in white robes, the woman emitted a clean, holy aura, one that seed to brighten and cleanse the room around her.
Silver bracelets coiled around wrists, clattering against one another, whilst large pearls strung on a silver wire hung around her neck.
A single pearl studded her right ear, whilst a silver star hung from her left, contrasting the golden locks that cascaded down her shoulders.
Finally, the last notable part of Lady D'Arcon was the white veil that covered her upper face, concealing her eyes and nose from view, though her thin pale lips were curled into a soft smile.
"Nirinia dear, I apologize for arriving so late... I know how you must feel, little one, but it's alright now."
Striding quietly into the room, the holy woman stared up at , reaching a pale hand up to stroke my cheek gently before looking towards Adelina.
"I always did adore you both, Nirinia dear. Both of your parents were good students of mine, even with their constant bickering and jiving. They ford tight bonds that last even until now, decades later. We had all hoped that you and Adelina would do the sa, but alas..."
Her voice was silky smooth, little more than a whisper on a soft breeze, but it felt comforting and warming to hear.
Approaching the bed, Lady D'Arcon reached out, her palm shining a brilliant gold as she began to mutter out a prayer, her free hand grabbing at the pearls around her neck.
I remained silent as I observed her, the woman my parents revered as such a perfect being finally standing before again.
mories of playing with the little Lioness inside the Palace returned to , the joyful giggles she would let out as she outwitted at yet another ga echoing around us, whilst the scent of her favorite confectionery that I stole for her wafted into the room.
The sight of the small cub running to hide behind this woman as I chased after her, angry that she had finally bested in a spar using tricks, slipped into my mind, and I felt sothing tug at my heart.
As the golden light in her palm faded, that sa cub flickered next to her older self, swinging her legs off the side of the bed as she glanced towards , her usual confident smile making feel little again as she waved happily towards .
Then, when the light faded, so too did that cub, but Adelina remained all the sa, her breathing even and her expression relaxed.
Removing her hand from her pearls, Lady D'Arcon stood up straight and brushed off her dress before turning towards , a soft smile still on her lips as she said "You both might have changed, but that little rascal and cub still remain inside you, Nirinia. Consider that, dear. For . For yourself. Watch over Adelina, and think on it... Sothings will always change; nothing is stagnant in this world, but even still, fragnts will remain, pieces that speak out to you... Look at them, and listen."
Patting my shoulder, Lady D'Arcon smiled up at before exiting the room, her voice filtering into my ears one last ti as she said "Everything will be alright, Nirinia. She's safe now, and she has you too look over her..."
With that, she left alone in the dical ward, where Adelina had made her full recovery.
Lady D'Arcon's words echoed around in my mind, and I fell back down into my chair as I pondered them, my eyes glued to the sleeping figure of Adelina.
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Gonna be honest, was going to do only a small part of Nirinia, but I'm kinda liking her lol~
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