The Wandering Fairy Chapter 254: Ripples in the Mind’s Ocean

The oppressing silence surrounded him from all sides, threatening to suffocate him. It felt as if this colossal space had shrunk significantly. WIth his heartbeat soaring higher and higher, Soren continued staring at the colossal fla, unable to move.

This isn’t good… The thought lingered for but a mont longer than it should. This really isn’t good…

Staring at the colossal pillar of light was now akin to eyeing a predator—one that had been spotted a tad bit too late.

“No. It’s not too late yet.” The reminder left his lips in a whisper. He wasn’t sure if he was more afraid of hearing himself or whatever entity existed here.

For whatever reason, it felt as if he instinctively knew hope still existed. It was an utterly strange and alien feeling.

For Soren, instincts only served as a secondary tool—a useful thing to rely on when logical thinking wasn’t accessible. But at the mont, his mind seed to prioritize his instincts over his rationality. This was sothing he had never experienced before.

Am I being influenced externally? It was a valid question to ask. With whatever secretly existed in this space, there was no telling what it could do… What’s more, Soren had already confird that Fignt wasn’t ‘exactly’ the paradox of his existence—it was likely a part of its machinations in so way. Since he and his cloned apparition both held independent thoughts, the true paradox was likely the opposite.

It might even be listening to them right now…

Now that I think about it, it really never made any sense… With Abstract Rune Synchronization, the Fairy Witness rune had willingly accepted the rger with from the very beginning. It would have no intentions of directly trying to usurp control afterwards—not unless it discovered to be incompetent...

This was knowledge he gained in the aftermath of the Mirror Ga. When the Blossom Sword Flower explained Her theory on how he gained his Soul Weapon, a seedling of doubt had already begun to bloom. He was just unsure of how to approach the issue.

Who knew he would discover the reason after defeating Fignt and not before?

As he was about to sigh, another instinctual thought appeared in his mind. His eyes widened—he hurriedly issued [Fictionalization] to display him his status page again.

Below it, a clear cascade of lines appeared, displaying the history of all his entries:

Event Log:

New Entry Recorded: [Worldsong: The Undying Coil] (Musica)

New Entry Recorded: [Spirit’s Fantasia] (Musica)

New Entry Recorded: [Fignt’s Defeat] (???)

Soren’s gaze was entirely focused on the last one. He issued the command again, allowing the floating windows to morph.

Fignt’s Defeat

ssage to the victor:

DO NOT DISTURB IT.

It- it can hear you.

DO NOT DIS…TURB IT.

The roots may shift. Do not look at them.

DO NOT DISTURB IT.

Expl– no…

…Explore. Dream… Discover…..

HIDE.

Ignore it. Ignore it please…

DISTURB… DISTURB… …

Search yourself. (NOW)

It seeks–

nourishnt.

DO NOT—

DO NOT AWAKEN IT.

IT WATCHES YOU.

Soren’s eyes dilated as he slowly read over the page. A searing pain coursed through his body, as if maggots were crawling underneath his skin. He clutched his head tightly, breathing slowly becoming sporadic. Vision blurred…

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“What…” Blood began to drip from his nose. What is this?...

There was a strange whisper in the back of his mind… He couldn’t grasp what it was saying and he didn’t dare to listen any longer.

Suddenly, the last three words on the page echoed in his mind again:

It watches you…

Soren instinctively stepped back from the fla—pain growing more and more frequent by the second.

Eventually however, it stopped.

As if it had never existed.

He stood there frozen, unable to think. His body was drenched in sweat—legs beginning to give out.

“What… What is this…”

What the hell is hiding within this isolated space? It felt as if he was stuck in an ancient, unending dream. A dream that only contained his demise…

He decided to stop thinking. As Fignt had warned, disturbing it seed like a bad idea. Even though his Fairy Witness rune focuses on curiosity, there were truly things better left unknown…

And that’s when he realized it.

A truth he couldn’t believe.

My instincts… They want to go against my own nature… The fear gripping my heart is…

His lips curled slightly on their own. He didn’t dare to even look at the strange fla anymore. Soren turned around and walked away from the marble canopy, seeking shelter amidst the shadows of the garden.

In that mont, the only desire plaguing his heart was safety. He wanted to crawl into a corner and hide sowhere—or perhaps be one with the dirt. Either one would work…

As [Fictionalization] quickly worked to reset his body, Soren began to rethink every word in that jargled ss.

Fignt… He wanted to warn …

Why?

They were enemies vying for the sa life and fate. Soren had used every strategy at his disposal to utterly defeat him.

So then, why would he use his dying monts to help him?

Soren felt as if there was sothing missing from the equation—the answer seed both clear and unclear at the sa ti.

Search yourself…

The words lingered in his mind continuously.

As he sat there in the midst of flowers and grass, Soren tried his best to decipher the words. It was clear with how desperate he was writing it, as well as the strange interference in the text, that there was so importance to it all.

Moreover, the “(NOW”)” placed after them signified what Fignt wanted Soren to focus on first.

Curiously, he began to search his own body, believing there might be a clue hidden sowhere. But aside from his usual robes and items, nothing was there.

He tried to also use his authority over the subspace to search through the colossal books floating in the crayon-painted skies, believing the ssage might be more taphorical than literal. But even that didn’t result in anything aningful…

Search yourself… Search yourself… The words replayed in his mind over and over again, until finally, an idea clicked.

“Soul Search? My Three Layers?”

His eyes widened slightly. He had completely forgotten to do that.

Wait… Why did I forget?

This was utterly strange. According to his theory, [The Faerie Court]’s influence should cause his rger with the new Abstract Rune to manifest its own shade of self. This was why his srism affinity seed to be intertwined so deeply with Mysteries.

Following that logic, Cantor’s Crown should also have caused a new change in his Three Layers to erge. A new affinity was likely waiting for him to discover it.

“I was already expecting that from the start… So how could I forget it so easily?..” If not for Fignt’s reminder, he might have likely exited [The Faerie Court] without any awareness.

Did the strange entity hiding in this space make forget it?...

Fear once again began to flood in, but Soren decided to quickly calm himself.

If it's that adamant on stopping , whatever secret is hidden there will likely aid against it.

Though, it could also be a trap. A trick to get him into searching for whatever was hidden there.

“.....”

After deliberating over his choices for a while longer, Soren couldn’t help chuckle to himself slightly.

Since when did things ever co easy for ?

Isn’t that why I decided to defeat Fignt? I knew full well the life I’d have to live…

Shaking his head with a smile, Soren crossed his feet and took a deep breath. Darkness flooded his eyes as he sat amidst the flowers in a lotus position. The floral scents slowly calming his mind…

…Until a dreamland erged from within.

Opening his eyes, Soren was t with countless familiar scenes. All of them scattered across a starless void.

The Veil of Perception…

I’ve made it safely, he muttered with a nod.

Glancing around, Soren didn’t notice anything peculiarly out of the ordinary. The scenes depicted countless experiences—so from his own past, others from his imagination. There were a few scenes depicting things he had witnessed happening to others, like getting stabbed by a sword through the heart or being beheaded and burnt alive… Many of them likely originated from the Mirror Ga.

Tsk… He shook his head and floated away, deciding to continue to the next location.

Unlike many of his previous visits to his own mind space, this one felt far easier and more comfortable. Months of being magi as well as his overall responsibility over the Faerie Court’s subspace had culminated in more than enough experience.

He was instantly able to pass through the Veil of perception, making his way to the ethereally clear ocean beneath a bright blue sky.

The Echo of Mind.

Soren kept his thoughts steady—not willing more or less than a few soft waves and rolling clouds. It was utterly calm and peaceful.

As he continued to search for clues, he suddenly stumbled upon sothing strange.

Aside from the soft waves caused by his own lingering thoughts, there were also many ripples echoing in random places across the clear ocean. As if sothing was causing bobbles to float up to the surface…

These… These were not caused by him at all…