Chapter 1095 (2/2)

Sighing, Zauna stepped forward to follow after Zagnal. First sighs and now unnecessary actions… today was a strange day for her. But she didn’t regret moving, because, for the first time in quite some time, she was completely in control. This was her decision to make. Even if she required a direct word from the Ghosthound to speak, she could at least choose to protect this fool with her own will.

Finally, one of the two by the fire looked up and tilted her head toward Zagnal. The air shifted.

“Keh-” Zagnal flew backward like an invisible giant had kicked him in the chest. Luckily Zauna was there to catch his broken form and prevent him from crashing and knocking over one of the guard’s tents.

Zauna checked the fool’s breathing; still alive, although reduced to unconsciousness by a single blow. That caused Zauna to look carefully up at the two figures by the fire. She didn’t really want to consider what would have happened had either Salazar or herself been the one to endure that sudden blow to the chest. The fabric of their image would have collapsed immediately.

But as Zauna looked at the figures by the fire, she could only blink as she found that the old woman was now standing directly in front of her.

“My, my, my,” The woman tutted. She reached out and poked Zauna hard in the chest. “That boy might make a good show of having patience… but he can’t understand the deep patience someone like you possesses. Aren’t you quite similar to my taste?”

Even if Zauna wasn’t quite confused by the sudden movements and touch of the old woman, she still wasn’t able to respond to her due to the geas that prevented her from speaking on matters unrelated to following orders or answering the Ghosthound’s questions. She could only stare firmly at the old woman and hope she didn’t misinterpret the look.

The old woman chuckled. “Don’t be like that, I can see the weight you bear with you. It would even be simple to… well, perhaps saying so is a cruel truth. Instead…”

The woman reached out and pressed her palm against Zauna’s chest with her fingers splayed outward. There was a surge of burning heat as the woman forced something out between her fingers and into the substance of Zauna’s image. But as soon as it arrived, it seemed to disappear amongst Zauna’s accumulated images. As soon as it disappeared, Zauna found herself so abruptly chilled that she gaped in surprise.

That feeling...

“A gift for the future.” The old woman’s smile was enigmatic. Then she turned back toward the pit and the liquified Aether within it. “As for that boy… he should be coming out shortly. He… well, he is a certain sort of monster, isn’t he?”

Zauna set Zagnal down and moved to the edge of the pit to look down toward the Aether below. Salazar moved to join her and they exchanged a glance before looking back toward the armory. Perhaps on some level, they had begun to worry that he would not even make it out of the armory. Especially after listening to the guards ruthlessly mock Zagnal. They had made a very compelling case as to why such an action was not possible.

But the man who walked down into the armory was not the average. Even this monstrous old woman who could destroy Zagnal with a look thought that the Ghosthound was a monster.

The first thing they saw was the discoloration. The pure azure of the liquified Aether in one small area was slowly corrupted by crimson. It started as a pinprick before expanding to the size of a fist and then a basketball. Bubbles wandered upward in ones and twos, and then by the dozen until the Aether was frothing.

The crimson color deepened, dominating the azure as it expanded. Then the Ghosthound’s head broke through the surface and his glowing emerald eyes could be seen. He was gritting his teeth, and suddenly Zauna could see the slow, staggering steps that the Ghosthound was taking to move forward. Even if he had escaped, it clearly had not been easy.

But before Zauna could see much more, a wave of flame wafted out away from his body. It seemed that it had been restrained by the Aether, but now that he had broken the surface it the flames were released. The stretched upward like grasping hands, greedily filling the sky above him. The fires around him pushed the liquid Aether backward, becoming a pillar almost five meters high.

Zauna could hear the Ghousthound curse quietly to himself and watched as the flames slowly shrank back down to simply fingers of fire against the Ghosthound’s skin. He took another staggering step forward, then another, revealing his entire torso. His skin was scratched and burned to an extremely painful degree. He honestly looked more than a little disheveled as he moved forward.

Again Randidly heaved, moving forward another step. This time as he ascended out of the Aether, he revealed an object he was carrying in his hands. A rather sizable wooden trunk kept tightly closed by a shimmering ivory lock.

After another step, the Ghosthound was only submerged up to his knees. Another step. Another step. And then he was free, slowly walking up the slope toward the lip of the armory.

“H-how w-w-was it?” Salazar cleared his throat and asked.

Randidly’s only response was to glare at the old woman standing behind Zauna, who began to laugh loudly in response. It seemed that his anger was so palpable that when be hissed out his breath, two dark streams of smoke curled outward.

“Delightful,” Randidly spat out spitefully.