Chapter 435: My Beloved (1/2)

The inhuman treatment of the Demis weighed heavily on his heart, but Arthur had a mission to finish. So, as he stood on the edge of the forest, he used his detection rune to find any traces of the hydra's child.

There were none.

Arthur sighed and walked into the forest, his eyes looking for any clues he could find. Just because his detection didn't find anything, it didn't mean that the soldier was lying; no one could lie to his art.

More than one possibility could explain why he couldn't find anything in the forest, and that was a counter-ability that prevented him from seeing anything. For example:

”Larza's isolation ability or the ender's powers,” Arthur muttered as he looked through the trails for anything, but there was none.

The exact mechanism of the snake woman's ability was a mystery to him, but he knew that she could isolate anything from space and time. Evidence of that was his arm that hasn't rotten even after a month or so from being cut.

Arthur grabbed the end of his left shoulder, and he could feel as if the flesh there was never destroyed. The slash she used to amputate his arm was also a product of her traits, and it detached his arm as if he was a doll. Yet, on the other hand ­­– although there wasn't one – his arm felt as if it had healed years ago.

The forest was quiet and eerie, and it made him wonder how desperate those lovers were to sneak into this place. His footsteps rang loudly on the dirt path, and he made no effort to conceal them.

Neither his perception nor detection could pick up anything, not even his ability to feel existence. That's why Arthur began to feel like this was a dead-end when he started healing a soft melody.

It came in a whisper so low that he doubted if he imagined it. However, the deeper he walked into the forest, the louder it became until he could tell it was what the soldier had described.

There were no words, only tunes sung using the sweetest of voices. It compelled Arthur to draw near, but he could tell that it was not out of his desire.

His soul was powerful enough to reject such charming magic, but it should be different for ordinary people. Yet, he walked deeper into the forest until he found a cave and the source of the singing.

A soft peace washed over his heart, and it was no wonder that anyone who heard this would turn a new leaf as that soldier did. The peace must not be disturbed but protected.

The cave went downward, and Arthur knew that whatever resided in this place was not peaceful as the song promised. On the contrary, the more he listened, the more he was convinced that the song was a wailing.

Arthur descended into the cave, and the darkness welcomed him like the dearest of friends. Then, the light was vanquished, and only the singing remained.

There were no outlines of things, only darkness that persisted even when he used his flames. This was enough to confirm that it was no ordinary cave, and this darkness didn't stem from the lack of light.

The wailing continued, becoming the sole thing he could perceive. It seemed to try consuming his mind, but it failed at every instance. Arthur wondered what would happen if he allowed it to take control over him.

The descent continued with no signs of stopping, and Arthur was beginning to realize that the path ahead wasn't a physical one but illusive. As long as he didn't fall for the illusion, he would keep walking until he did.

”I need to search the web for Beginner's Guide on How to Fall for Illusions,” Arthur sighed. It was one thing to resist, but to willingly let down your mental barriers? A normal brain would automatically try to resist, so it was hard to convince it.

Furthermore, falling for an illusion was deadly, as a mental prison was easier avoided than left. However, there seems to be a loop for the wailing, and Arthur wanted to find the hydra's child.

'I'll just write my own beginner's guide,' Arthur thought as he took out an accessory and a core. It was time to make use of his artifacts. They floated away from his hand, and the Dispel rune appeared in their place. The core and rune fused before turning ethereal, and the ashes flew out into the wind of the cave.

The ring descended to the rune, and they merged. Runic lines began appearing on the ring, and Arthur slipped it into his hand.