Extremely thick grey fog, howls of innumerable soul, scent of death, and obscured sense of direction, that were the things Eros and Eris saw and felt upon walking towards their death sentence.
Barely able to stand after surviving the dangerous battle, Eros felt extremely fatigued. His body was barely recovering from some of his injuries. Worst of all, the place seemed to be void of natural energy!
Just after a few breaths, Eros felt as if there was no air in the surrounding. Even the weight of his body felt extremely heavy. He immediately realized that the laws of the place were different from the outside world. Even his life force was slowly dwindling, like a smoke slowly fading.
Panicked, he leapt attempting to come back out. However, what met him was more of the endless fog. “It seems like we cannot go back.” Eris’ voice wafted to his ears, and her slender arms wrapped around his waist while his other hand pulled his arms around her shoulders. In his weakest, Eris carried him to help him stand and walk, in an attempt to find a suitable place to rest.
Both knew nothing of the place and clueless if it was really just an endless space. At first, they walked without stop in hopes to see some changes in the fog. Unfortunately, even after an hour of walking, it felt as if they weren’t even advancing.
Eros who was barely hanging on his consciousness said weakly, “I cannot use my magic... I am also barely able to breathe…. Is this really our end?”
Hearing this, Eris consoled him and said, “No. We will find a way out. I am the one who pulled you in here, and I will be the one to find a way.”
Eros slightly chuckled even he was in great pain. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Eris asked, “Why are you laughing?”
As weak as he was, Eros still tried to answer, “You have always been silent… and I forgot your real strength… At the Desert of Rawn, your spirit moved every slave in attempt to escape… I somehow just remembered how capable you are….. and your words made me somehow laugh for asking.. a stupid question if this… is our end.” After the last word, Eros suddenly coughed out blood. His complexion paled, and he was again barely gasping for air.
Eris worriedly laid Eros down to rest, and said, “I am not capable. I simply have a reason to live. A reason never to give up.”
Those words somehow suddenly jolted Eros into a realization. He himself have the reason to live on. Giving up was not even an option. So quickly, he forced himself to sit even it felt as if boulders were resting on his shoulders. “Eris… How can you easily breathe… and move in this place?”
While holding Eros’ back to help him not fall back flat on the ground, Eris answered, “I am unsure myself. The laws in this place seem to be different, but somehow, it doesn’t affect me much. I can feel the pressure of the place, and the way it is sucking out my life force, but somehow my body can withstand it.”
“Maybe it’s has something to do with her race.” Eros thought to himself. If it was, he could never imitate whatever it was that makes Eris immune to the laws of the space. “If this goes on, I will not last a day.”
Unsure of what to do, Eros sat crossed legged and closed his eyes. Since breathing was extremely hard, and natural energy was nowhere to be found, the best course of action was to calm down, focus and study the space.
Three, five, ten.... Thirty breaths and there was not a sign of improvement; Instead, it was getting worse. The barely breathable air started to become colder. His instincts told him that if he continued forcefully breathing, he would end up dead and frozen. Likewise, if he stops, there was nothing but his end on sight.
His wounds bled, and his life force continued to dwindle towards death. From whatever perspective, there was no chance for him to last more than ten breaths.
Even Eris felt extremely anxious. She was also clueless of why Eros was being pushed to demise by the peculiar environment of the space. Her hand seemed stable supporting Eros' back, but in reality, she was trembling inside, racking her mind for an idea to help Eros persist, or simply lessen his pain even for just a short moment. In her face, only one thing could be culled from many facial expressions, it was deep longing for a miracle to appear.
However, contrary to Eris' wavering resolve, Eros' determination never lessened. Instead of debilitating his breathing to avoid being frozen, he increased its intensity and forced every breathable air into his body.
This quickly caused his nose and lips to pale into a blue hue and ice to appear on his face as if he would die in a breath or two. Pain also surfaced on his every breath, but it did not make him waver the least.
"Eros!" Eris voiced out of worry, her other hand gripped Eros’ own. "Stop. You will die!"
These words of worry could clearly be heard by Eros, but he has no choice. He took deeper breath one after another as if forcing the laws to abide by his own rules.
After a while, shockingly, Eros' was yet to die. He continued to breath and survive even with the freezing air rushing inside his body. Eris was shocked. It was beyond what she could understand. But at a magical point of view, it all made sense, especially for Eros who specialized in elements.
Be it either a common cold environment or a simple warmth for the sun, for Eros it could only be classified as a form of element. So, pouring all his knowledge and the meager amount of natural energy he could collect, Eros suppressed the freezing to an extent that he could endure the torment.
Eris who knew Eros best was still shocked and clueless on how Eros was able to persist, but it wasn’t a time to be dazed, it was a moment to act for Eros’ sake.
She hurriedly pulled out a bundle of medicine from her pocket. Whispering a short spell, the medicines turned into smoke and entered Eros’ orifices, attempting to heal his wounds.
In reality, Eros’ wounds were the least of the worry. It was his waning life force. Eris knew this fact, but she felt the need to do something to lessen Eros’ suffering. Thinking about restoring Eros’ life force, Eris had a sudden idea, but this idea made her slightly nervous and blush. Modest as she was, it was the only choice she has.
Her hearth pounded, and her chest felt like being compressed. She slowly leaned towards Eros’ lips. And without warning, gave Eros a kiss!
Eros who was in an extremely focused state felt something touch his lips. Extremely pure life force came flowing along with the feeling of softness and warmth of a female’s kiss. He quickly realized that Eris was forcefully transferring some of her life to him. Notwithstanding the possible opposition of Eros on her actions, she still diffidently continued to pour more life force on Eros.
Being the receiver, Eros felt his whole-body gain vigor. His wounds somehow stopped worsening and the feeling of eminent death somehow lessened. However, as much as it could benefit him, he was against Eris decision. With her giving away life force, of course she was losing her own. In such a dangerous space, even a wisp of life force could be worth more than any amount of magic stone.
Seeing that Eris does not plan to stop. Eros felt worry in his heart. Quickly he switched all his strength in his arms, and as fast as he could, he grabbed Eris’ small shoulders and pushed her away. Barely able to speak, he said, “I am grateful… but.. that’s enough..”
Eris was also shocked, she was extremely focused on her attempt to save Eros life. She stuttered as she answered, “No.. Uhh…” Then she ducked her head, covered her lips with both hands, and turned around, while a blush started to make her face warm even in such a cold space.
Silence entailed, but as a result, Eros’ lifeforce began to stabilize. Although the surroundings still draw out his lifeforce, he could be considered safe for a bit more time.
Time passed, and the Eris never turned back to look Eros in the eye. She was obviously embarrassed from purposely stealing a kiss from Eros. Worst of all, she was pushed away. She clearly understood why, but somehow, something inside her tells her that what Eros did wasn’t right.
After a long time of waiting, Eris traced movement behind her. Eros voice also quickly followed along, “Let’s proceed.”
Eris jerked up her hands and covered her lips again. She didn’t move, until Eros hand held her shoulder. As response, she slowly turned her head to get a glance at Eros’ face. To know what he meant by asking to proceed. “Is he asking for another kiss?” Her thoughts swam and became wild.
But to her surprise, what she saw was Eros’ pained expression. Clearly, he was still suffering greatly. Eris acted on instinct and rushed to let him lean on her. The only thing repeatedly running in her mind was. “I’m such an idiot.”
She now understood that it was the wrong moment to take that kiss seriously. Eros life is still at great risk even after everything that they did.
Eros slowly stood up. His body trembling while Eris carefully assist him. “Where are you planning to go.” Eris asked, worried.
With all his strength focused on breathing and standing, Eros didn’t speak, instead he pointed to a certain direction. Eris knew for a fact that Eros is also clueless on where to go, but she did not voice out any opposition, and just guided Eros with every step. It was clear to her that sitting and not moving would only end up killing them. It would be best to move and find a clue to escape the space along the way.
A single step, ten steps, they walked until such time that they lost count of the amount of step they made. Along with the lengthy journey, a very shocking and concerning truth struck them again. “Not only our sense of direction is obscured, even my sense of distance is muddled. Worst of all, I’ve lost sense of time.” Eris though, glancing around trying to figure out more changes in the surroundings.
The longer they wander in the fog, the more they fear this unknown land. From everything they faced so far. This was indeed the most dangerous place they ever entered. The Desert of Rawn and the Land of Freezing soil was both dangerous, but it does not even come close.
Ignoring the worrisome effect of the land, they continued to walk. After several steps, Eris felt something grumble. Since there are many abnormalities in the surrounding, she ignored it and continued walking. However, not long, she felt it again. She realized that it was grumbling from something very close to her.
“Eh..” She said. Her eyes directing towards Eros’ belly. “You’re hungry?”
Eros stayed silent at first, but it kept on grumbling, so he felt the need to explain himself. “Theres… No natural energy.. I’m hungry.”
“Ah.” Only now did Eris realize that they had another big problem. It was food. She, herself haven’t eaten anything for a long time. So, the concept of being hungry was lost in her mind. Thinking about it, she doesn’t feel any hunger, but it wasn’t a problem, so she put that in the back of her head, and thought of a way to find food for Eros.
With one arm, she rummaged into her pocket. There, she looked for anything edible. Even a herb or grass, anything that could satiate Eros’ hunger.
Luckily, she managed to find a few, and fed them to Eros. Unfortunately, she realized that her stock won’t last them a month. Having not to worry about food or drink, they never stored anything of such in their pocket.
Even Eros onerously tapped his pocket to open it, to see if there’s anything he could eat. Same with Eris, he only found nothing but medicines and some herbs. It could be eaten but it would last less than what Eris have. In total, if only Eros eats, it could possibly last a month and half. As for water, the mist and fog contain them, so with a bit of effort and meager amount of natural energy, Eris might be able to collect them.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Again, they pushed forward. It was one problem after another, but both never gave up. They weren’t even sure how long they are in the place anymore. Sometimes it felt as if they were walking for eternity, but sometimes, it felt as if they were just seconds ago that they entered the fog. It became confusing. If ones will is weak, they would eventually lose all reason and become crazed.
Eris was especially bewildered. Her breathing was unaffected, and her body did not feel heavy. Even her life force was not being strongly drawn from her. However, her mind was being affected in some odd way. Clearly, her resistance to the place was imperfect, and soon, she might also experience the suffering Eros was forcefully enduring.
At a certain time, Eros fell on his knees. At one glance, Eris could tell that the problem lies with his life force. As both of them expected, it was at the verge of being depleted.
This time, Eris swallowed her embarrassment. Her body still trembled and her face still blushed, but this time, she kissed Eros trying to make it seem natural.
Life force rushed to Eros body. As quick as how a bucket could be filled upon being dipped in a river, Eros was revitalized once again. As soon as he regained his senses, he pushed Eris again. This time, Eris saw Eros’ expression, it was filled with worry and concern. His eyes only showed nothing but deep agony. Anyone could tell that his mind was slowly crumbling. Being reliant on Eris just to survive, and even lowering Eris’ chance to stay alive. It was hurting Eros deep inside. He could recall daily how his love ones died, and he never wanted to see Eris suffer on his behalf.
However, instead of showing the same expression of sorrow, Eris smiled. Her smile was pure and struck Eros’ heart. At such a very hopeless situation, it was as if a hand suddenly grabbed him again out of the darkness to see the sun. A sun that gave him strength to endure. A reason for him to fight!
With resolve they began walking again. It was a repeated process daily. Everything was hanging on Eris. If Eris stops walking, their journey ends and Eros’ life forfeits.
Soon, Eris’ greatest fear came. Their supply of food could not last more than five meals. She tried several times transferring natural energy towards Eros’ body, but it didn’t help much. It could only satiate Eros’ hunger for a very short period, and in turn she would become extremely tired. It was not a viable solution to the problem.
She was also at the verge of giving up. However, suddenly, a howl came not far. Hearing it, Eris quickly stood straight and stared at the direction of the sound. From what she could tell, it was a wolf, and it was only a few steps away.
Instead of feeling fear that it might be a strong beast, Eris rushed to make a surprise attack. She can barely use even the weakest magic, yet she attacked without hesitation. Eros knew the reason for such action. If it was indeed a beast, then his ration for food could increase. "Eris.." He forcefully murmured; anxiety filling his whole body.
In no time, shrieks and howls echoed out. It was clear that a battle for survival is being fought by both. Even though the howls of the beast signified its pain, Eros' worry never lessened. Especially when everything suddenly turned silent.
Each breath Eros takes felt like days as he hopes for Eris to safely emerge. Soon, a silhouette of a wolf appeared. Eros frowned, but he quickly sighed in relief once he saw Eris carrying the wolf.
Her arms bled. There were bite marks and scratches. Even her right foot was bleeding. However, even with all the wounds, a smile still covered her face. Her next words were so pure that shook Eros to the core. "We've found food." She said, face filled with not pain but excitement.
Eros' body and soul trembled. The only ones he knew would do the same for him were his parents.
Around almost four years ago Eris was a complete stranger. A slave unwilling to be bound till death. The only reason they helped each other was to live, but now, that life she fought so hard to keep was being risked for the sake of a boy not even related to her by blood.
Eros himself was unsure if he would do the same for Eris, but now his eyes showed warmth and deep respect. As Eris hurriedly walk dragging the wolf and her injured foot, tears welled up in Eros' eyes.
Earlier, even with all the pain he experienced, tears never flowed down his face. But now, a single movement could cause it to slide down his cheeks.
In the midst of a very cold environment, he felt warmth greater than any element. He already considered Eris as his family back in Ronsorth, but now her position in his heart became irreplaceable.
"Ah" Eris noticed Eros tears. She increased her speed to arrive by Eros' side and as ask, worried, "Has it become very painful?"
Eros shook his head and smiled, "No... The pain... Lessened."
His answer confused Eris, but she did not ask more and simply felt relieved that nothing seems wrong.
Knowing Eros is well, she turned her focus back on the body of the wolf. Eros did the same and noticed that it wasn't an ordinary animal. Its red fur was very long, with claws extremely sharp and teeth that could possibly crush metals. From what Eros could tell, even an Khrusos mage would have a hard time dealing with it or might not be able to kill it. Yet, even without magic, Eris was able to kill it.
Eros was extremely puzzled. He knew Eris' strength. With magic she could deal with the wolf with ease, but not in the space they are located.
Unless... A sudden thought entered Eros mind, "What if her physical strength is beyond my knowledge?" However, knowing his questions would not help, he chose to remain silent and forget it.
"Eros.. Can I borrow an ice and flame element gem you got from Genna?" Eris asked, shy, then she continued to explain, worried that Eros might think she's after the gems, "I can't use magic to freeze the wolf to preserve it and can’t use flame to."
Before she could finish, Eros handed the gems without hesitation. The gems were indeed precious, but it was nothing compared to what Eris did.
"Cook." Eris added" slightly taken by surprise. She knew of Eros' greed, so she was careful on asking for such expensive object.
Seeing the gems on Eros' hands. She smiled. Also, along with the gems there was a very expensive medicine for physical injury.
Earlier, Eros was not able to use it because of his weakened state, but now, so he is willing to give it to Eris.
Eris slowly grabbed the gems and medicine. She knew that rejecting it would only waste Eros strength, so she consumed the medicine quickly and bowed to express her gratitude.
With the gems and a knife, she got from her pocket, she cleaned, and froze the wolf. A portion of it was cooked by the heat from the gem for Eros to eat.
While Eris fed Eros, her wounds also continued to heal. Soon both decided to investigate the surroundings. A wolf suddenly appeared, meaning, there might be a specific location where the wolf entered.
Time passed, and Eris helped Eros to roam around. Sadly, they found nothing and felt as if they were simply going in circles.
Determined, the stayed longer to investigate any spatial crack, but, in the end, they were slapped by the reality that the wolf entered the same way as they did.
Filled with disappointment, they left the area in search for new clues. Right or left, they decided based on instinct.
After longer distance of travel, they found another beast, luckily it was weakened. Same as before, Eris instantly rushed for the kill. Eros knew she would do such, so he tried to grab her hand to tell her not to be rash. However, he was too weak for such simple movement. In the end, his hand grabbed nothing but air.
The fog was obscured, so Eros could barely tell the progress of the battle. Fortunately, this time, he was sure Eris would succeed. And as expected, his new meal was served.
This pattern continued on. Eris would often get injured and a few times she would escaped unscathed, but with whichever result, smile and excitement colored her face.
Eros could feel his heart being filled with warmth and being torn apart at the same time. Seeing Eris get hurt because of his weakness only reminded him of his parents. For him it was the worst feeling. His desire to gain strength only heightened. He now truly felt that being a wizard is nowhere near enough to protect what he cherish.
Even though he felt useless and weak, he could do nothing but accept Eris' help, but his determination to understand the fog filled land strengthened.
As more time passed, he rarely talks and continued to observe. It was unknown to both how long they’ve been stuck in this seemingly endless cycle. However, Eros never stopped. The more he sees Eris suffer, his desire to live for only grew greater.
Soon, a time came where Eros noticed Eris' body growing weak. Her smooth skin started to have cracks and wrinkles. It was clear that her life force is also at the verge of being depleted. Even though it could be recovered it the outside world by using numerous medicine and several years of rest, it wasn’t possible where they stood. He knew for a fact that their life forfeits once Eris’ life force depletes.
Their travel also slowed down, most of the time they would sit and rest for a very long time.
At one-point Eris seemed to have reached her limit. The constant supply of her life force to Eros now showed its effects. By the looks of it, their travel will end at the very spot they sat.
Eros did not speak, and Eris continued breathing heavily. Her words of consolation could be barely uttered by her weakened body, "I just.. Need.. A little..Rest."
Eros knew this was their limit. Various thoughts entered his head, but his expression remained placid. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
As expected, even how much they rest, Eris’ strength never returned. Considering everything they have gone through, she clearly pushed herself beyond her limit.
The cold grew more intense. The fog covered their vision and left them helpless. At a glance, one could tell that they are close to their ends.
Eros gradually felt very weak. In no time, he found himself lying in the ground. Eris used her lap to give Eros comfort, and she never stopped giving her life force.
No words were spoken as death came closer. However, even without a word, both of them didn’t show a face of regret. Eris continued to smile and, Eros’ expression remained placid like a lake ever so calm.
One day, Eros was so weak that he couldn’t lift a finger, and he was barely able to remain awake. To comfort him once more, Eris began to sing. Her voice was hoarse and her talking seems to tire her more, but she continued sounding as if recollecting the past.
Eris’ song somehow struck Eros’ heart. The lyrics were all about a mother’s love for her child, and Eris’ voice could barely give it life, yet the feeling from the song never lessened.
Tears flowed down Eris’ cheeks, it was clear that the song was an important part of her. The extreme feeling it gave made Eros envision a lady cradling a baby. Her features were so clear. It was a beauty beyond what words could describe. The more Eros listened the more he felt that even Gods would envy her beauty.
Time passed, and Eris always sang the song to Eros while stroking his hair. Unexplainable to him, it somehow lessened his pain.
The thought of death flashed by his mind thousands of times. Even with his extremely strong will from the memories of the Hill of Despair, death was still a terrifying thing.
To forget about all these numerous fleeting thoughts. He somehow focused on a single soul. It was floating slowly above him. His eyes were stuck to it as he lay his back bare from the cold ground.
Soon, it was gone, and another soul took its place on his eyes. This cycle continued on nonstop. It was as if Eros was caught on a trance. No one knew how long it lasted, yet suddenly, Eros’ placid expression suddenly flickered. His eyes widened, and his lips trembled.
He slowly tried to utter the word, “Flow” It wasn’t even audible, yet it seemed to somehow caught Eris’ attention. She began to check his face, and worry flash by her eyes. It seemed somehow that Eros was experiencing something unexplainable to her.
More time passed, and Eros’ eyes were shining as if he was experiencing epiphany. “Souls..” He said. His words, were now stronger than before. “They are being carried by this energy… Energy I have never seen before.”
Eris was shaken. Somehow Eros seemed to have gained vigor. “An energy far different from natural energy.” Eros added, as he slowly lifted himself up to sit. “I’ve been blind all this time. My connection to nature was severed, and it allowed me to see things at a much clearer perspective.”
“If not for the soul magic, this might have been impossible to notice, yet now I am here staring at something a mortal should not be able to comprehend.” Eros continued on, as he propped himself to stand up. He was still looking up, eyes shining like a star in the night.
“The river of souls.. The unknown energy… The flow of the souls.. And this thick fog….They are all leading to somewhere… A flow I should not follow…If I…” Eros shifted his gaze in front, and lifted his hands as if reaching afar. “If I can know which soul recently entered this land, I can use that opportunity to get out!”
Eris was staring at Eros deeply. She could not understand everything that he said, yet she felt that Eros’ words were the only way to escape death. However, even with all her strong belief on Eros, worry still flashed her eyes. Especially when she doesn’t know where Eros got the sudden boost in energy.
In Eros’ view it was all clear. Around his body was the energy that was unknown to him. He forcefully used it to gain a sudden boost in power, yet he knew that it was something dangerous. Even though his face was still calm, it felt as if all his bones and internal organs were going to explode if he loses control of the energy even at a blink of an eye.
“I can’t use it for long.” Eros said, “Then he grabbed Eris’ arm and lifted her up. The moment, he did so, the energy he could barely control became somehow stable. It seemed as if, Eris’ body is able to calm such energy. Eros was shocked, but it wasn’t the right time to react to such, so he ignored it and rushed forward.
He roared, and soon gained flight. His veins were popping, and his bones were cracking. Even Eris could hear them; crisp and clear.
This did not stop Eros from continuing. It was as if he was clear on what to do to finally escape death. “We are going to survive!” Eros roared.
Soon, the third curse on his soul shook. It seemed to react with Eros’ sudden learning. His eyes turmed black, and the blood red symbol of Orcus’ appeared without his consent, yet he never noticed it and pushed on as if his life depends on it. His speed surpassed what he could do as a wizard. He was like a lightning cutting all the fog towards a certain soul at a distance.
“I can see it!” Eros shouted. “That soul is just entering this place! The unknown energy isn’t even on its body!” These words made Eris frown. She stared at every soul, and somehow, something seemed to have changed in her vision. For some unknown reason, she could now see the weird energy Eros was referring to!
Indeed, Eros was right. The soul he was flying towards was like a normal soul. It felt as if, if much time is wasted, it would be bound by the energy of the land.
Eros’ speed increased once more, and his energy spiked like never before. Blood splurted at every part of his body and soon, the soul was in front of him!
He reached his hands towards it, and his magic of soul activated. The soul trembled and stopped in place. It seemed to have been stuck in the middle of entering the space.
When Eros touched the soul, he continued on towards the area behind it. Then with all his strength, he tried to rip open the space. It was something impossible for someone like him, but with the help of the odd energy in the area, and risking his life, he felt like he had the chance. Also, using the soul in between spaces, the seemingly impossible task became possible. Opening a rift is hard, but when it is already opened, and widening it can be done.
Eris also helped, realizing the energy was not harming her. She helped Eros circulate it for Eros not to explode from overexerting himself.
In no time, a small rift started to widen. From Eros’ view, it was obviously leading outside. He doesn’t care where it would lead them, but he doesn’t care. All he wants is to escape the place even if half of his life is lost in the process.
With his greatest roar, he used all his might. Then in an instant, the rift widened, enough for them to pass. Grabbing Eris, they flew out!