“Welcome back, my child.”

“This can’t be real.” Val shook her head profusely in denial. She looked around and the figure but nothing she could see proved otherwise. What she was seeing looked as real as life itself. She closed her eyes and activated her ultimate. All of a sudden, everything disappeared. The figure, the cave, and even Miles and others. Only she remained. In the center of the darkness, images started to play backward. One by one, it showed the different angles of the cave and the people who entered it in the last hour.

“Figures,” Val muttered as she canceled the ultimate. She looked around and saw others were frozen on the spot. She walked to Miles and let her energy enter his body. With a jerk, Miles jumped back.

“What happened?” He asked as he looked around.

“There is a creature that can show you your deepest fears.” Val said and pointed at others, “It pulled us all into an illusion when we entered the cave.”

“How did you get out?” Miles asked in a shiver as he remembered what he had seen. He didn’t know before, but now that he had seen it, it all made sense. His biggest fear was weakness. Accepting the defeat. Rotting and getting weaker.

“It showed me something impossible, so I realized something was wrong.” Val smiled but didn’t elaborate. Miles didn’t ask either. He wouldn’t want to share what he had seen, nor would others want everyone to know their deepest insecurities.

“Let’s wake others,” Val called. Miles nodded and moved to Alex. He disturbed the energy flow and Alex also jerked awakened.

“What happened?” He asked after he looked around.

“There is a monster that can show your deepest fears. Val was able to wake up, and saved me too.” Miles gave the credit as he looked at Alex and Maya.

“How did you do it?” Maya asked. “I thought about the possibility of an ability or illusion and tried everything but I failed.”

“Well, you guys have Heart Seed and Body Seed, I, on the other hand, have a Mind Seed.” Val only said so much and it convinced others. Except for Miles. His brain power was stronger than anyone in the group, even Val with her Mind Seed. Her superpower was also not related to an ability that could save her. It further proved that there were some other elements that helped her.

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‘Could it be the impossible image she has seen?’ Coin asked in Miles's mind.

‘Maybe.’ Miles muttered.

“Let’s deal with the creature,” Val said after she made sure three of them were fine.

“How about Everyperson. Aren’t we going to wake him up?” Alex asked.

“Let’s wake him later. I don’t know if the monster is motionless because Everyperson is still under its spell or for some other reason, but I don’t want to risk it.” Val said as she pointed at the throne.

“I still can’t see the monster,” Maya said as he scrutinized the empty throne.

“Because the throne is the monster,” Miles said as he pulled out his dagger. Death elemental dagger wouldn’t hurt the ghost elemental creature, so he used the one his father gifted to him. He could spare some energy to use it.

When he walked in front of the throne, Everyperson, who was silent from the beginning, started to cry out.

“No, no, no! I am too young to die. Please give me another chance. Please!”

“I will do anything. Just let me live please!” He shouted as he dashed towards Miles. His form was slappy and his movements were clumsy. When he was in front of Miles, the latter kicked him in the chest and sent him flying at the back.

Miles ignored the foaming idiot and brandished the dagger. He let the energy fill the weapon and stabbed it forward.

“Viscount Percival’s Sun Piercer”

Although it was a spear technique, it didn’t matter when the opponent was stationary. The dagger shone like a sun and stabbed at the throne.

“WAHHHH!” An ear-deafening sound covered the cave, as Miles took a step back in pain. He led energy into his ears to plug them off and stabbed the throne over and over again. Blue blood seeped from the holes he created and only after the twentieth stab, did the monster die.

Miles cut open the body but found nothing.

“That is strange,” Miles said as he made smaller cuts all over the throne.

“What happened?” Val asked.

“There is no core or orb,” Miles said.

“My father said some monsters don't have an orb or core, as they have the primary Mystic Branch.” Alex said, “It is usually an external object or a part of their body, but not easy to discern.”

“So this monster had a Mystic Seed?” Miles asked as he looked at the monster.

“Yeah, that ability wasn’t something that logic could explain.” Val nodded.

“King was right after all. There are mystic creatures in this place.” Miles looked outside of the cave in worry. Just a monster almost killed all of them and if it wasn't for Val, they all would be dealt with. It probably let Everyperson go in the first place so he could gather more prey. Miles didn't know what the monster would do with them, as it didn't have a mouth to feed on, but he didn't think they would be spared.

Most probably they all would die. It was scary. What if Val failed to wake herself up? He didn't want to think about the possibility.