CHAPTER 25: DENIED PASSAGE
Soren lifted his brows. A Saint? He remembered Myrin mentioning a Saintess named Sylia who they were supposed to meet in Yadria.
“Is this person connected to that Sylia we were supposed to meet?” Soren asked, but was met with silence.
Myrin’s expression was stone-cold.
“Did we reach Point Sylvia,” Tina’s voice echoed out from within the carriage.
Soren responded. “Yes, but there’s a stranger standing next to the Beacon of Guidance.”
Suddenly, Soren heard Myrin mumbling something to himself. Just when he was about to ask him what’s wrong, he stepped off the carriage and walked forward to the edge of the glistening lake.
He glanced back at Soren, “tell Tina to come greet the saint. You as well.”
Soren frowned and did as he was told. When Tina heard what was going on, her expression also changed.
Without waiting for them, Myrin propped himself on one knee and lowered his head. His right hand was placed over his chest. “The blossoms bloom in your wake, Saint of Spirits, Luvin.”
Tina swiftly mirrored his actions, and Soren followed suit clumsily.
The man on the other side of the lake smiled faintly. Sneaking a peak, Soren saw him take a step off the lily pad and miraculously walk on the water in their direction, and without leaving a single ripple in his wake—every step made the bells attached to his staff chime in a soothing way. And yet, a hint of dread was still building within him. Soren was unsure why, but that jingle of the bell—it scared him.
The man took his time, leisurely walking toward them. He stopped only a few meters away. Soren couldn’t help himself and looked up to see his face. He froze.
The man was beautiful. Extremely beautiful. Even the fabrics lining his ethereal robe weren’t as silky as his skin. Each of his elongated elven ears was pierced by flower embroidered earrings that glistened in the Silver-Eyed Moonlight. But more than just sight—the man smelled heavenly as well. It was a shocker to Soren; he had already gotten used to all the aromas of the forest, and there was plenty to fill his palette. And yet, none of those extravagant floral scents could even match what he was currently experiencing. His deep pink eyes seemed to glow in the dark, glancing directly at Soren, who just realized he had been caught staring.
The man chuckled. “Is there something stuck to my face?”
Soren’s heart spiked for a bit as he lowered his head again frantically. “No… Uh… Sir.” He seriously wanted to slap himself.
“No worries, humans are like that sometimes,” he glanced at Myrin who was still bowing. “My dearest Myrin… What an unexpected visit. And you also brought two pets with you… Ah, apologies. Three if we include the other one who’d wandered elsewhere.
“No matter.”
Pets? He wanted to lift his head again and question what he meant by that, but his instincts told him not to.
“Most holy Saint of Spirits. I pray to the Maiden high above that you forgive our transgressions. I come to you as a bearer of dialogue—a diplomat, as promised by the most holy Saintess of Dreams, Sylia. My companions here have also arrived to help facilitate this task on behalf of the Holy Saintess.”
“I most certainly have heard of such plans, yes.” He said playfully.
“Then—”
“But I am afraid I must deny your entry. Yadria at the moment is currently going through… A brief crisis, bless the blossoms.”
Myrin gulped a mouthful of saliva. “Bless the blossoms… Is this situation in regards to the Malevolent Hexes roaming these sacred woods?”
The man named Luvin nodded. “Indeed… It is most regrettable. This is the fate of the unblessed after all…” Soren noticed his voice changing—becoming somewhat agitated, “these lands have always been tainted by their presence, and yet those on the other side continued to provide them with aid… And yet, this is how they repay the Maiden which has cradled them for more than a millenia—spreading corrupted Anima to their once blessed neighbors.”
Soren was shocked at what he was hearing. He glanced over at Tina—her expression was intensely grim. He was somewhat surprised she hadn’t already blown up in his face, but he quickly realized that even she, who he had viewed as a monster up to this point, was afraid of this man named Luvin.
“Holy Saint, if you may let me add, I believe me and my helpers may be able to provide assistance with that situation. Along the way, we’ve been attacked by a large group of them. From our findings, they seem to be exhibiting a strange behavior in regards to their corruption—the Memory Void Spirits, as we have come to call them, tend to seek after the thoughts, emotions and senses of others. The Memory Void Husks however mostly want to pass their corruption to others to cleanse themselves.
“However, this is not the complete picture either. It seems some of these Malevolent Hexes have been corrupted at different types of levels—some more drastic than others. We believe there is a chance to save them if the corrupted person is quickly tended to!”
What he was saying was true. After that incident, Myrin had spent countless hours mulling over it. Aside from his unpreparedness for the encounter against the Memory Void Spirits, he was also curious about something else. Why did the Memory Void Husks attack them?
Their first Memory Void Husk encounter did not end in the same way. The poor guy they met back then was harmless—all he did was try his best to deliver a message with whatever was left of his will.
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At first they assumed that The Nameless Mist acted on its victims based on time—the longer you were exposed to the corruption, the more violent you became. But that couldn’t be true. After all, from what Soren remembered, that first Memory Void Husk was way more infected than the ones they encountered later in the swarm.
No, the real answer was willpower. Those with a stronger willpower were able to hold out against the mist’s effects while those who were weak in spirit tended to immediately succumb to the effects with no way to cure them. The Nameless Mist, regardless of quantity or time, acted the same way regardless—it all depended on the person who was corrupted to fight against it.
But that also meant that they would need to quarantine the unblessed and separate them based on how strong their willpower was. Then, they would need to find a Phantasm with some form of power that’s capable of expunging or cleansing the corrupted mist. It was a hard task, since The Nameless Mist seemed to operate above even The Beyond itself, but it most definitely wasn’t impossible.
The Saint, Luvin, looked at Myrin and frowned. “Myrin, have you not learned anything? How dare you?”
“I—”
“I do not want to hear anymore of your nonsense. The only cleansing I will allow is through eternal slumber under the guidance of the Maiden—that is the least they could offer to repent their sins.”
The man sighed and looked up toward the surrounding treeline—countless fireflies and other bioluminescent insects flew around freely. “This place, Point Sylvia. It holds a lot of importance in our faith, you know.”
Myrin stayed silent.
“But out of compassion, We the Saints of High Court had planned on building a new settlement here for the unblessed. We argued and argued and argued, until We finally came to an agreement. But at the very least, I was happy with this outcome—the blessed could live peacefully and as close to the loving Maiden, while the unblessed and their heretical lot could find a home away from the Spirit Blossom Willow and the discomfort it surely causes them. It was supposed to be a win for everyone involved.”
Yeah right, Soren thought while trying to not show himself rolling his eyes.
Luvin continued. “Of course, these plans had to be postponed. With the arrival of this… Nameless Mist from who knows where which spread amongst the unblessed populations of Yadria.”
Soren heard his voice soothing again, “It truly pains me. These unblessed may have not chosen their fate, but no one does…
“Myrin, what you speak of is an insult to the true believers of the Maiden. You would risk the corruption spreading just to cure those who have already been condemned for an irredeemable sin? Is it because you relate to them that much?
“If the unblessed truly cared about Yadria, they too would agree with my assessment. And yet…
“Many of them refuse and try to hide their corruption until it’s too late. One such person did just that and only after he had his entire Runic Existence corrupted and his flesh twisted into a monstrous Malevolent Hex did he reveal himself—corrupting several innocent children with him. How truly selfish.”
He stared coldly at Myrin. “So do you dare to peddle your nonsense after you heard all of this?”
Myrin stayed silent.
“Hmph. Just this once, I will forgive your transgression of bringing humans to our sacred land. Take them back with you from wherever you had all come from and never return. Your exile had been decreed by the Saintess of Blossoms roughly 15 years ago—it had yet to expire.
“And now, you are using Her mercy to return back to Yadria with these greedy humans brought with you. How do you even have the shame to do that?”
Myrin opened his mouth briefly, but no words came out. There was no way he could argue his case against a Saint.
Suddenly, a faint breeze of light brushed past them. Its colors shifted, Soren had no way to describe it other than it reminded him of the Northern Lights back on Earth. Though, what he was currently witnessing had to be a hundred times more majestic.
The ethereal light echoed a beautiful womanly voice. “Luvin, Myrin and his companions have come to our lands with my approval. Do you seek to deny me my rights as a Saintess? You are but a mere Custodian.” The voice seemed to enter their minds directly—it was completely telepathic in nature.
Luvin frowned. “Sylia, do you seek to disgrace the Maiden’s name? Myrin is one thing, but you want to allow humans to enter our sacred city as well? Have you gone mad?”
The voice echoed out immediately in response. “The humans from the Aellora kingdom have visited our sacred city in the past, this is nothing new.
“Know your place, Luvin. Is Saintess Lesticia allowing you to act this way?”
Luvin stayed silent for a few seconds and sighed. “Fine. However, I will not be escorting them personally. They have done surprisingly well against the barrier so far—I am sure they could handle the rest of the way there on their own.”
The man didn’t wait for a response. In a graceful motion, he slammed his staff into the water, creating countless ripples around it. The 3 bells rung their ethereal tune. Out of nowhere, a large black wolf appeared from the distance, leaping right behind Luvin and going into a sitting posture. Soren couldn’t help but look up and admire what was happening (while hiding his fear of the monster sitting behind the Saint).
Luvin gracefully sat sideways on the wolf as it lifted itself back up. He stared at Myrin and the others. “Farewell, Myrin, the first exile of Zinrie. May our paths never cross again.”
In only a few seconds, the wolf leaped away into the woods, disappearing instantly with Luvin on its back.
The ethereal womanly voice ignored him and spoke to them once more. “I offer my deepest apologies for the disruptions he may have caused.”
Myrin lowered his head further, “Holy Saintess, there is no need for such words. My companions and I are ever grateful for your intervention, bless the blossoms.”
“Very well,” she replied, her tone soft yet regal. “Let us put this matter behind us. I can sense that your journey has been a perilous one so far. From this moment on, I shall illuminate the path to our sacred city. Simply follow, and Yadria will appear to you by the time the sun rises once again.”
Myrin lifted his head slightly, looking at the ethereal light. “We are deeply honored by your mercy and guidance. May the Maiden bless you eternally.”
Soren watched in awe as the ethereal light morphed into a string that extended past Point Sylvia, passing through the mangled foliage of the Feylith Forest. The trio sat on one knee for a few more breaths—only after Myrin noted that the Saintess’ voice was gone did he stand up again. The others followed suit.
He glanced back at them and smiled. “How convenient. My Flower Divination came true after all”
Tina sighed. “I think this encounter shaved a few years off my lifespan.”
Soren couldn’t agree more. Even though Luvin looked more beautiful than even the most delicate flower, hidden behind that facade were deadly thorns. Every word he spoke had a layer of venom laced beneath it.
What a freak, he thought.