Looking up at the sky, Mabilis gazed towards a specific direction, peering into the unknown void towards the origin of the previous abrupt shaking of the realm. His eyes flashed the golden light before they immediately dimmed down, regaining their usual appearance.
Feeling the numbness on his forehead, Mabilis touched the middle of his forehead. The heat emitted from the hidden part of his body gradually cooled down. He needed some time to adjust his control over it as he had just acquired it.
The area around him was one a beautiful forest where all kinds of animals existed. Many exotic and never-seen-before plants with unusual characteristics were residing peacefully in this place. Even after the quake, the soft fragrance of the multi-coloured flowers still lingered in the air.
Beside him, a beauty was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, freely letting Mabilis observe her features and guarded her. However, despite her elegant figure, a pair of fleshy dark green wings occasionally moved. The size of said wings was as same as her height, towering behind her body readied to shield her from all possible danger.
"Let's go. I sense that something big had happened and we should hurry our step." Mabilis softly spoke as he watched Iracia opened her eyes and nodded to him. Her eyes had an inviting quality as they had the shape of the demon's eyes, with the sharp vertical pupils.
...
Despite the sudden quake, the labyrinth didn't sustain any significant damage as only some insignificant parts fell and crashed onto the ground. Some touches got extinguished under the shock, turning parts of the maze dim and dark.
As a result, the monsters inside the world died from the dropping blocks, making it easier for the group to traverse to the end. Some traps also got destroyed as a side effect, collapsing some rooms and walls which made the layout of the labyrinth more unclear than before. Fortunately, the ceiling which held the underground world together didn't collapse under its weight.
Three different sounds of footsteps echoed the chamber as the figures walked across it. They slowly advanced as to avoid the possible hidden traps, which had almost taken one of their members previously. With one woman walked at the middle between two other men, they formed a defensive and offensive line which could advance and retreat at any point in time.
"Abicel, the explosion just now seems unusual. I reckon that we should hurry our pace and get out of here." With a white cane which had a golden orb on its handle, Glacies walked forwards fearlessly. The staff was something he obtained inside this maze after completing one of its mysterious riddles.
Not only Glacies but both Abicel and Avidas also got precious treasures from this journey. With the help of their rewards, their power gradually rose higher as they continued to advance forwards. If they had times to digest their gain, their strength would sky-rocketed more than before.
Activating their aura of a first-ranked sorcerer, they maintained their vigilance as they moved towards the end of the chamber.
...
Retreating from the abode, the disciples of the Flying Green Garden looked back in awe for one last time before hurry off towards their destination.
Inside the abode, Little Florie was quietly meditating. A stream of greenish Element continuously flowed into her body as it slowly merged with her skin. The absorbed Element would cycle through her body once before ending in her heart, generating a peaceful sensation in every part it travelled through.
Sensing a familiar aura, she opened her eyes to see her mentor sitting in her usual place. However, her mentor usually wouldn't interrupt her routine mediation, until this day, she had never seen her teacher coming to the abode during her training.
Matia laid her eyes on her pupil, losing in her thought. She walked towards her disciple and patted her on the head. The white skin reflected the light and entered her eyes, ridding her of the dull vision she had.
"Little Florie, our Garden shall move towards the Mountain Union in the next three days. Even though we are going there for another reason, you and I will be visiting that man to collect his debt." Upon mentioning the past, Little Florie frowned as her face turned a little pale. She was still afraid of his monstrous form.
"Yes, mentor. This time, I will be the one who defeats him and corrects his mindset." Although with the help of her mentor, she had reached the stage of a pseudo-first-ranked sorcerer, she was still far away from the actual first-ranked sorcerer. If she couldn't get rid of the shadow of Forus in her mind, she wouldn't be able to break through and become a first-ranked sorcerer.
After seeing the confidence in her pupil, Matia smiled as she gracefully gestured her hand, motioning the vines nearby her abode to move. They formed a ball of green plants in front of Little Florie before disintegrating into dust, revealing the content inside.
The object was a necklace with a flower-shaped green gem. The treasure would continually inject Wood Element into Little Florie, boosting her rate of recovering sorcery energy and her spell damage. The Flower also dimly shone as it suppressed the great power inside of it, readied to unleash it upon its owner's command.
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"Florie, this necklace contains three functions. First, it will help you with your spell casting and Element absorption. Second, it carries three full-powered strikes of mine, by which you could use offensively and defensively. Lastly, whenever it detected great power that could take your life, it would instantly transfer you to me." Seeing her pupil smiled as she put on the necklace, Matia explained the usage of it to her. Even if Forus advanced and became a first-ranked sorcerer, he still couldn't take Little Florie down in an ambush easily.
Gaining a new necklace, Florie stopped her daily mediation and tried to test its capability. She knew that such a great treasure would be a powerful trump card that could save her life and turn the table. Although she wished to defeat Forus with her ability alone, she still knew her limit and prepared for the worst. After all, background support and connection were also a part of one's strength.
...
The majestic golden light finally disappeared out from this dull world, making the surrounding colourless again. Its mere appearance had caused the said world to shake and its edges to crumble, messing the laws of the region. The section around Forus became burnt and decayed with many ruins from the collapses of the landscapes.
However, even though the light had already left, the quake persisted. Its massive power generated storms and rains, causing floods and destroying much beautiful and exotic scenery. The wind its created blew away the mist, dissipating them into dust and cloud, clearing them from the surface of the world.
Without the mist covering the world, its beauty of greyness began to show itself. The white trees that didn't topple down stood proudly as they seemingly looked down onto their fallen comrades. The grey dirt that resembled a desert gave off the lonely feeling. The constant rain and storm also enhanced the effect of natural beauty.
Once the quake subsided, Forus regained his focus and awakened from his absent-minded state. He quickly checked his inner realm of consciousness and his external physical body. Although the appearance of his body was still the same, he knew that the hardness and flexibility of his body had exceeded that of his previous self. He could easily exert the strength that his former self couldn't hope to achieve.
Inside the realm of consciousness, traces of the chaotic environment had disappeared and replaced by the quiet and orderly flow of sorcery energy. His soul compressed itself into a black dot, floating in the middle of the space. Its presence distorted space around it, preventing other things from coming near it. The Death Aura that continually leaked out from it would revolve around it, forming another layer of black mist, concealing the black dot.
Without mist covering the world, light shone down from the sky and reflected off his smooth skin, revealing its tenderness. The touch of life enhanced his appearance, contrast to the world of static dullness.
The first thing Forus did was not checking his new-found power, but instead, he quickly rushed towards where Ocelia was laying. Although he didn't know why the evil entity allowed him to live and help him break through, his worry for his wife still outweighed his curiosity.
The wind gently passed through his cloth, playfully teasing them. However, his clothing had mostly disintegrated into dust, leaving behind only tattered pieces, making him not as graceful and elegant as he should be. Nevertheless, Forus didn't mind any of this as he raced towards Ocelia.
The figure of a man encompassed Ocelia's vision, covering her from the danger outside. With every footstep, the distance between them lessened. Time seemed to slow down as they approached one another, exchanging their pended up emotions. At this moment, there was no alchemy genius Forus and Mistress of the Coruscare Family Ocelia, but only a worried husband and a caring wife.
"Don't worry. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine." Kneeling in front of Ocelia, Forus consoled her without telling her about the deal which he made. She didn't need to suffer any more of his selfishness.
"We should get going. The golden light would probably attract the attention of the others." Using his newly-replenished sorcery energy, he helped her healing the damaged organs and curing her wounds, easing her pain and lessened her stress.
After most of her injuries got healed, Forus let Ocelia climbed his back and allowed her to be the guide and told him where to go as well as what to avoid. Although sorcery energy could accelerate the recovery rate of the body, it could not regrow important organs and limbs.
While Forus could be legs, Ocelia also contributed as the eyes. With the clear sky, she could easily see the silhouette of the towering skyscraper in her vision. If the gate and the mission of this realm existed in a specific place, other than the unknown hidden ruins, the most eye-catching tower would be the best place to go.
Only when the two started travelling that Forus thought about why the entity helped him outside of the deal. The only reason that could be the truth was that there would be something stored for him, making him struggled against the odd, further amusing them. This speculation would fit the last sentence of the mysterious being.
While dashing through the lifeless world, the two quietly felt each other's skin, sensing the faintest touch in every movement. Every time Forus moved his body, he would feel Ocelia's weight pressing onto his back. Savouring the sensation of something soft pressing on his back, he involuntarily relaxed his mind.
During the time of the journey, the couple treated it as a date where nobody could disturb them. They mostly spent their time walking and would occasionally stop to rest on each other's back. As Ocelia gazed towards the greyish scenery, she would speak all the detail she could remember, telling the story for Forus to imagine it in his mind as he could not see.
After the great quake, the laws of the world had gotten severely damaged, making the rules dictated the realm unstable. The couple knew that they had travelled for a long time, yet there was not a single sigh of darkness or dawn. The sky would always send down the light, brightening the world at all time. The omnipresent mist that previously existed in every corner of the world also disappeared, not regenerating as it should.
Without the obstructing fog and the creatures from the night and darkness, the world became peaceful and static. Because of the absolute lack of life, the pair didn't encounter any resistance or danger during their rest, further telling them that they were alone in this world.
However, despite how alluring desire kept calling them, the two only suppressed their feeling and did not do anything shameful. The lack of any life made the two uncomfortable, wishing to leave this place as soon as possible. They also wanted to have a formal wedding before doing anything that crossed the border.
The days went on without anything extraordinary happened.