Into The Mist

Crunch, crunch... Heian Ciemnosc was eating something that looked like chips. They were crunchier than any other thing Fera had seen, and it piqued her interest as she saw Heian Ciemnosc's bowl and mouth back and forth, up and down. Heian Ciemnosc finally looked at the peeper and asked her without extending a chip to her. "Do you want some? They are made from half Human and the other half is Dwarf."

Fera made an ew face and left his seat. The Fighter continued flying through the skies for another couple of hours. It has been 6 days since they departed from the Medium City. However, they were close to their destination, unlike others who took 10 days. They were only a few hours away from the outskirts of the mist. Because, already, with his Ornament's radars — better than other Fighters — Heian Ciemnosc could catch a glimpse of the mist from tens of thousands of kilometers away.

Heian Ciemnosc grinned and let Fera scurry away with that face as he finally took a look at the front. His Ornament and the other few hundred Fighters flew 200 km above in the skies, ensuring no settlement would be anxious at their sight, following the Sanz Kingdom’s procedures. Their eyesight as cultivators at the peak of the First Step was enough to let them see a tall cloud of mist stagnant within the air.

Heian Ciemnosc communicated with his medallion to his little group, telling them all to prepare for landing as his Ornament searched for a place. They wouldn’t keep their Fighters in a place like before. They weren’t staying in a peaceful City, but they still had to take precautions after hearing a lot about this place. But at this moment, Heian Ciemnosc had many groups of dots everywhere surrounding the mist.

After finally finding a place to land beside one of the largest groups of dots, Heian Ciemnosc led his people there while looking at what was well beyond 100,000 Sect members with the Obscure Orb Sect’s emblem. As his Fighters came flying, they naturally attracted the latter’s attention. One group of Fighters like this could decimate a group of 100,000. Even if not instantly, the Fighters wouldn’t suffer much. And who knew how much ammunition they had? Besides, that strange Fighter leading the way had many mini-turrets to protect it from Power Energy attacks and other missiles, yet appeared to be pretty agile and somewhat faster than a Bulldog.

Fwvium, fwvium, fwvium, fwvium… Step, step- fwvium, fwvium…

However, they didn’t react with hostility, as a person from their group walked out of the crowd and headed to where Heian Ciemnosc and his little group were landing. The latter’s speed and maneuver were smooth, raising eyebrows from the Obscure Orb Sect’s side as they could see the Second Step organization emblem at the side of the Fighters. When Heian Ciemnosc stored his Ornament, the others were still in the process of preparing their Fighters for a sudden need. The young man from a week ago had laughed out loud like crazy and walked to stand behind him.

“Are you their leader? Really??” The young man asked nicely but was positively curious and disbelieved the motion. He saw Fera walking around with the other COs, whom he didn’t know of but ignored it and spoke to Heian Ciemnosc. Heian Ciemnosc looked at the young man and nodded. This young man was also in the Second Step and had to be their group’s leader and protector. Heian Ciemnosc asked with feigned, equal curiosity as the young man’s.

“Are you not afraid of being targeted by other First Step forces if you come out without better protectors?”

“Eh…” His question somewhat startled the young man as he didn’t expect to be asked something in return. The young man wasn’t angry or offended but smiled and ignored the question. Looking at Heian Ciemnosc, he crossed his arms and puffed his chest out. Saying with a proud tone. “I see you are someone famous. But since I know your name, maybe you’ve heard of me? Eh? The Obscure Orb’s most recent Core Sect Disiciple? No?”

“... What’s your name?” Instead of saying, ‘never heard of you,’ Heian Ciemnosc asked politely with a nudge of his head downward. The young man pressed his lips into a thin line, saying after helplessly sighing, “Indeed, too far away to know about some of the best organizations in this Existence. Oh well, my name’s Riquel. Nice to meet you, Heian Ciemnosc.”

“Mn, Riquel then, nice to meet you as well.” Heian Ciemnosc softly lifted his eyebrows and greeted the young man back. Riquel slightly nodded by moving his nape before tentatively staring in Fera’s direction. With a polite tone, Riquel spoke to Heian Ciemnosc, “I take it you’ve taken a liking to her? She seemed to be in the Sect Master’s eye before we departed, but not many understand why, so she was somewhat neglected these few days.”

“Fera? Mn, she’s mine now. If anyone dares to harm her, I will go all out and risk the Academy from entering another war.” Heian Ciemnosc politely said and smiled, not threatening nor pushing pressure onto Riquel but making it clear he would if necessary. Riquel didn’t feel offended once again and smiled instead. “I understand. It’s just that since you aren’t an arrogant bastard like others, maybe we could help each other later on? I’m sure you’ve noticed how many people are around.”

“I don’t mind working together, but only if necessary and if our people are alright with whatever situation. I don’t want my student troops having to deal with a problem your disciple troops randomly caused.” Heian Ciemnosc politely spoke again, making Riquel see Heian Ciemnosc with new eyes. Riquel swiftly nodded and said with his arms resting at the sides of his body, shoulders relaxed and down. “Sure, I see no problem in that.”

“Mn, but we are not signing any non-aggression promise. I can’t do that unless someone promises authentic order within their force, you understand?” Heian Ciemnosc added, making Riquel’s face somewhat stiff and turn awkward. It was true he couldn’t promise some of his people that if the situation arose, they would suddenly attack Heian Ciemnosc’s student troops.

Besides, earlier, Heian Ciemnosc made it clear these weren’t new students or were here to have some experiences in their younger days. They were fighting for cultivation resources and treasures. Besides that, these troopers had experience and would use it, if necessary, against whoever dared to target them, of course.

Riquel might be proud and egotistical to a certain degree, but he was a young man, and if he wasn’t that, maybe he wouldn’t actually be a young man. That was thought by Heian Ciemnosc, someone who had just become a young man. However, Riquel wasn’t dumb or vain. Seeing Fera well treated and after they bought her a puppet, useless, but at a high cost, it could be said it wasn’t for nothing, and much less for lust.

As the two accorded a few things and analyzed each other’s forces, Riquel left Heian Ciemnosc’s waiting area, realizing the tremendous expertise this couple thousand student troopers had even without their Fighters. Who knew what kind of blood-lusted monsters they would become once they mounted those machines and used their arsenal. Their prowess was astounding, and so were their war instruments… so was their leader, whom he couldn’t read.

On the other hand, Heian Ciemnosc understood the differences between a Second Step and a Fourth Step organization’s First Step forces. In the initial months of the war, the student troops were given some more theriac and interim pills, a few extra tools, and a device or tool. On the other hand, even in peaceful times, going to another Universe to gain experience, these Obscure Orb Sect’s First Step forces were armed with at least a Mortal grade weapon, several devices, and some defensive tools, with quite a few offensive tools, and a talisman or two for self-defense.

One could only imagine the arsenal each First Step individual in a Fifth or Sixth Step organization would have. After all, while most First Step organizations had tens of millions of members altogether, a Second Step could already have close or above a hundred million members… without counting vassals. Heian Ciemnosc shook his head, and his eyes twinkled with anticipation before being replaced by calm, serene, darkest eyes that inspected the mist.

As he and Riquel discussed a few terms, both sides looked and scrutinized each other, trying to spot differences and assess each other’s strengths. In the end, either by coincidence or respect, they felt glad to have a capable semi-ally for when they discovered whatever was hiding inside the mist. The Wrath Nihility Academy’s group then noticed their leader walk to the center before them, ignoring the other groups’ gazes around them and spoke to them.

“We’ll enter soon, meditate, and keep your states at the peakest. Fera will be considered our fellow student until I say otherwise, me and nobody else! No matter what happens inside, if it’s not really me. Then don’t believe it. We have a strong sense of the chain of command and are orderly. Any ‘kind’ of enemy will try to exploit that. There’s more than one way for you to figure that out, so I expect no mistakes during our searching inside.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Heian Ciemnosc spoke without disclosing who Fera was. Everyone knew by now. Elena and the rest were among the crowd. Everyone was ready for what was to come but felt estranged by Heian Ciemnosc’s words. It was as if it wasn’t just to warn them, the potential enemies listening nearby, and their semi-ally… but something else as well…

“Remember your instructions… because you shouldn’t find it weird if I come for you if you dare to disobey it, no matter how ridiculous or silly it seems. I will,” Heian Ciemnosc reminded them once more before turning around, giving them his back and facing the mist. He prepared to analyze as much as he could before deciding to enter. This gave those behind him the needed time to look at each other and become apprehensive. They no longer considered this as another battlefield, with the difference being it would be secluded or too compact.

“We march ins-” After a little while, and with Riquel seemingly trying to start putting some restrictions on his people after seeing Heian Ciemnosc’s sudden and out-of-nowhere stern appearance but failing with his own people not really hearing him out, a voice suddenly interrupted Heian Ciemnosc’s words as he was about to take a step forward. Riquel, who was also surprised and his heart skipped with Heian Ciemnosc’s decision to enter already, with the other groups always waiting for others to do so first, felt his face changing as a figure emerged from nowhere as if warping from far away.

“Hold it there, little kid,” said the voice as Heian Ciemnosc’s right foot was halted midway in the air towards the ground. A force seemed to sweep through but not only Heian Ciemnosc’s 2,000+ student troops but also the almost 200,000 sect disciples from the Obscure Orb Sect. They suddenly felt they could no longer move. To Heian Ciemnosc, it was akin to his Steel Array Snakes back then, when it still had such properties compared to now, where his Golden Array Snakes are only for capturing, entrapping, or defending.

“...” Heian Ciemnosc didn’t say anything. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. Heian Ciemnosc saw a reptile with orangish skin appear up in the skies, 30 meters above this student troops’ heads. He appeared cloaked, but his upper body wasn’t hiding. A couple dozen others, seemingly also in the Third Step, but not everyone at the peak like their leader, as he faced Heian Ciemnosc and his little group.

Swish, trrrccggrrr~. With a swing of his left arm pointing at Heian Ciemnosc, a grin appeared on this reptile’s face as he dragged Heian Ciemnosc towards him, pushing him against the ground with pressure so Heian Ciemnosc wouldn’t come flying but humiliating himself as his soles drifted on the dirt. He said with a light and easygoing tone, “Punk, give me the devices you stole from my hands and the money for making others spend too much on them. Break relations with the Wrath Nihiliy Academy and willingly turn into my plaything or 30,000 years.”

“I promise to treat you very well and that Academy after you do,” the reptile said with his eyes narrowed to a dangerous, deathly slit. There was absolute silence everywhere around the mist as a few million pairs of eyes looked without daring or wanting to say anything in the first place.

Heian Ciemnosc gave no response and continued to drag his soles through the ground, turning them into mud as the reptile thought it was due to his prowess, not realizing Heian Ciemnosc had a simply scary body tempering innate Supreme Art with 32,000 kg of bodily strength!

Twinkle… wheeeeeesh!!- POOOMMM!!!!!

However, at this moment, with Heian Ciemnosc’s face turning ferocious and looking up to the reptile’s eyes, his darkest eyes made the former suddenly retract for whatever reason. Before he realized, from above, a twinkle scintillated as something seemed to have broken through dozens of patrolling teams and came crashing down from beyond the skies… from space!

The air was blasted away and forced to follow an illuminated projectile downwards. It wasn’t a missile but some sort of energy attack. And although nobody could tell how it came to be, Heian Ciemnosc felt a familiar aura from it… Elyor’s…

As it blasted in the air before forming countless limbs reaching like a cage, a smallish, thin tread of bluish-white energy came crashing between the space of Heian Ciemnosc and the reptile. The latter’s grasp on the former was ruptured, and that reptile instantly felt his Vigor Energy not responding. He was already a Third Step peak expert for millions of years. How could there be someone being his match from suddenly nowhere?!

The ground broke apart, and the dirt flew into the skies. At once, Heian Ciemnosc made everyone’s medallion heat up as he turned around and took his Claws Out. With a sweep of his claws amidst the rising rain of dirt, pebbles, and vegetation, only Riquel had an angle and cultivation base to look through everything but barely caught sight of Heian Ciemnosc suddenly brandishing at the mist’s outer perimeter with some strange tool-weapons.

Without wasting a mere half a second as the reptile was startled silly, looking up to see the energy attack not receding, threatening to come down if he even did as much as move, the students hurried behind Heian Ciemnosc and followed him!

Step, fw- whoosh, step- step step! Whoooosh…

They entered the mist before they knew it. They had only seen Heian Ciemnosc brandish his dark claws and advance, and in the following seconds, what replaced the rising ground and the tremendously mighty energy undulations all around them were replaced by mist and a cold, fresh presence creeping over them.

The Concealed Ornament Team had taken shielding devices from their Covert Space bags that activated a protective array formation as a light green barrier popped from them. They covered the first few hundred advancing behind Heian Ciemnosc and were intensely stressed to keep their mouths shut and make no noise. Heian Ciemnosc seemingly didn’t notice everyone walking behind him as they continued advancing.

They didn’t question anything and simply continued. Heian Ciemnosc turned his head around and gazed at a few COs as they made their way to the back of the long line of students. It was dangerous, but only in this way would he be able to reorganize everyone without needing to send a dark Power Energy attack if someone fucked things up. He kept going within the mist, leading everyone as if he knew the way, but truth was his Spirit Sense wasn’t ‘working’ as intended.

Everyone walked, slowly becoming startled before feeling apprehensive and slightly understanding what their group leader talked about. They were first walking through a prairie, just as it was outside the mist. But before they knew it, they walked through a half a desert and swamp. It was a strange biome. But they were then stepping on snow, with the sensation of tiny fingers as thin as a fly’s leg prickling the soles of their shoes.

When the sensation was gone, so was the snow, replaced by water that only reached their heels but felt as if it was floating up to their necks. Slowly, everyone started feeling their necks and brains grow numb, but when one was about to lash out with incoherent words, a CO would come to them and knock the shit out of them. There wasn’t a person who spoke out right away to release their stress and nerves.

They continued trekking forward. Although the mist blocked anything in their sight farther than 2 meters away from where they stood, and their Spirit Sense was useless out of nowhere. Whenever they needed courage, they just looked at the fashionable back of a dark coat to tranquilize themselves, thinking their leader’s Spirit Sense could unquestionably traverse this mist and was guiding them through the right path in these lands of death.

The students had better believe that, or there would’ve been killings already. Heian Ciemnosc continued walking, not knowing when it would end. The images and events from just half an hour ago were gone, no longer mattering in anyone’s hearts as they knew that within this tricky mist, nobody could track them. That was until Heian Ciemnosc found a little hut, which looked more like a hallway than a residence or structure itself.

Heian Ciemnosc looked back and saw his students slowly line up. When they finished forming before him, and he kept looking at them as if something wrong would happen if his eyes glared anywhere else but at them, they strangely felt calmed down and smoothly stood before their leader. Nobody was talking.

Heian Ciemnosc nodded at their efforts and signaled with his hands that he would continue alone into the hut, whose ‘door’ was a simple aperture. It wasn’t wider than 5 meters and was only about 10 meters long. It had a few lit old-fashioned wax lamps and refined, small wooden furniture. When Heian Ciemnosc stepped inside, a crack simulating an old door opening sounded, raising the nerves of everyone listening to it, which was to the farthest student from the hut.

The COs looked at Heian Ciemnosc with wariness as he entered the hut, worried sick of his well-being, as his body suddenly disappeared in an even more abrupt darkness covering the entire building, as if his presence had shut everything down. Only his heels were seen before he walked into the dark.

“...” On the other hand, Heian Ciemnosc entered the dimly lit hut, finding it cozy and peaceful, without an ounce of strangeness inside. He looked back, only to see entire darkness, even in the middle of the doorstep, as if he had entered another world. He faced the hut’s other exit and walked 3 steps before stopping and walking over to a table with a single, lone candle without anything supporting it.

Psssh… … …

Heian Ciemnosc clicked it with his right index finger and thumb, extinguishing its light. Right away. Heian Ciemnosc felt the hut darken with gray and blue as the wax lamps seemed to turn colder and hostile towards him. This wouldn’t have been realized if it wasn’t Heian Ciemnosc, whose senses were overly unique, who entered the hut in the first place. And suddenly, his eyes saw unduly long forearms, with ordinary volume, but with a corpse’s hands and decrepit flesh, rotting but stagnant as if frozen… trying to cover his eyesight from behind him.

He didn’t feel any presence even as the rotten meat from the hands, a few holes here and there, were just 5 inches before his face.

…