I looked around at the scenery around me. If someone were to think of a stereotypical haunted forest, they would imagine something close to this. I found myself in a dark forest, one without a single trace of light. Despite that, I had no trouble seeing my surroundings. The trees were tall, so tall in fact, that I couldn’t see their branches. Instead, I found myself surrounded by gargantuan trunks that seemed to stretch on into infinite, their tops disappearing into the darkness above. The air was cold and still, stagnate even.
Mist coated the forest floor, thicker than the mist that gave Gloom Mist Forest its name. There was something sinister about this mist. It moved and swirled around, even though there was no wind. Despite that, it clung to me, like grasping fingers that didn’t want to let go. The mist had an acrid stench as well, similar to sulfur but sharper. Tree roots rose out of the ground, twisted and gnarled. Thanks to the mist, they almost looked like claws reaching out to drag me under the earth.
There were no sounds in this forest, except for the ones I made. I heard my breathing, the sound of my heartbeat, and so on, but nothing else. I didn’t hear any birds or small animals. It was as if I were the only living thing in this place. Perhaps I was. It was hard to tell through all of the trees. There were so many, and they were all crowded together, that it was difficult to see more than a dozen or so feet in any direction.
If I could use my divine sense, that wouldn’t be a problem. No, scratch that. Even if I could use my divine sense without damaging my mind further, it wouldn’t have been of any use in this place.
“Well,” I said, speaking out loud. My voice came out muffled even though nothing covered my mouth. “I’ll give you an ‘A’ for effort, if nothing else. You crafted a delightfully creepy dreamscape. Have you considered a career in making horror films?” I paused. “No? What about giving people nightmares? I’m sure there are some weirdos who would actually pay for that sort of thing.”
The mist around me paused for a fraction of a second, as if confused, before it resumed swirling around. I resisted the urge to chuckle. It seemed that my dear…guest didn’t know what to make of my words. No matter. It made no difference in the end.
After the inquisitors left Sturm Manor, everyone retired to the drawing room where my parents and I explained the situation to Kaylee and my disciples. Since it was a family meeting, Lady Calla was excluded. My sister and my disciples protested, saying that it was too dangerous, but I managed to reassure them.
Well, Aurora did. She popped out and said that she would look after me, so I wouldn’t do something too dangerous. That calmed them down. It annoyed me a little that they believed my familiar over me. Just how reckless did they think I was?
While we were at it, we also took the opportunity to tell Father and Kaylee about the necromancers and the undead magic beast horde that attacked us. They were surprised to hear that anyone would dare to attack the Sun Guard. Of course, their surprise turned to anger at me when they realized just what I did to myself in order to defeat the necromancers and their undead minions.
Kaylee was so upset that she grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me several times, calling me a reckless fool. While Father’s reaction wasn’t as dramatic, it was clear that he wasn’t happy with me. Not that I expected otherwise. I mean, I burned fifty years off of my lifespan and almost permanently damaged my mind. Of course he wasn’t happy.
Once they calmed down, Father wondered out loud if the necromancers were in any way related to the Dark wizards that were targeting the heirs of the Houses of Sunheart. While we didn’t have any evidence linking them, it was strange that both events happened at around the same time. Without any more information, however, all we could do was speculate.
After our family meeting, we made what little preparations we could. Since mental spirits and demons operated on a different plane of existence, it was difficult to try and block them out, even with magic. Not that we wanted to, since the whole point of going through all of this was to try and figure out more about the Dark wizards behind everything.
This assumed that I was marked like the other heirs. Considering what we learned from High Inquisitor Corvus, I had a gut feeling that I was. The similarities between what happened to me and the other heirs were too numerous to ignore. Of course, if I was, then that meant that Master Tempest wanted me to get involved with the Inquisition.
When he healed me, back when I almost died, he would have noticed the mark from the Dark magic spell. Hell, he probably noticed it when he dragged my soul to that realm of his. Dormant or not, I doubted that any mortal Dark wizard could hide anything from a god. If Master Tempest noticed the mark, and didn’t do anything about it, that meant that he wanted me to be a part of whatever was going on.
High Inquisitor Corvus and his aide, Inquisitor Lewin, returned a few hours later. To my complete lack of surprise, Grand Priest Darius was with them. This all but confirmed that Master Tempest wanted this to happen. He must have somehow warned Grand Priest Darius about the situation. My friends and family, who already knew that I was the Chosen of Tempest, were all similarly unsurprised. Terra’s followers would do the same for Lorelei, who was a Chosen herself.
High Inquisitor Corvus and Inquisitor Lewin, on the other hand, had trouble accepting it. I was sure that they would figure out the truth sooner or later. Why else would a grand priest, one of the most prominent figures within the Church of the Sun, drop everything for the sake of a scion from a middling House?
Grand Priest Darius looked very different from what I expected. Hadley was a tall and burly pale skinned blonde who looked like he belonged on the bow of a Viking longship, looking for monasteries to loot and plunder.
On the other hand, Grand Priest Darius was a little shorter than me, with short salt-and-pepper hair, a trimmed beard, and dark brown skin. It was clear that he hailed from the southern end of the continent. He looked to be middle-aged, maybe a bit older. Despite his apparent age, he looked hale and hearty. The priestly garments he wore did little to hide his physique. He had soft, kind features and laugh lines around his eyes.
I guess he and Hadley weren’t related after all.
When we were introduced, Grand Priest Darius greeted me with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.
“I’ve looked forward to meeting you for a while now, Lord Gabriel,” he said, his voice rich and deep. He bowed to me as he would an equal. “I wish we had done so under better circumstances.”
I bowed to him in return, giving him the same level of respect.
“So do I, Grand Priest Darius,” I said. “It seems fate had other plans. I do apologize for asking you to come here under such short notice.”
Grand Priest Darius’ smile widened.
“Well, I had some warning,” he said. “I was about to retire for the evening when I received a message from my lord, telling me to ‘Go help the boy.’ It didn’t take me long to figure out who he meant by that.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now then, High Inquisitor Corvus informed me about the situation on the ride here. We’re dealing with some nasty Dark magic here. Shall we get started?”
I liked Grand Priest Darius, and I had a feeling that I would enjoy working with him in the future.
High Inquisitor Corvus and Inquisitor Lewin watched our exchange. The latter radiated incredulity, no doubt wondering why someone of Grand Priest Darius’ status would be so familiar with someone like me. Even the scion of a Great House would have had to mind their manners around a grand priest. High Inquisitor Corvus, on the other hand, studied me. He had probably figured it out by now.
We all retired to a room my parents and I had prepared for this, since I didn’t want a bunch of strangers wandering around my room while I slept. That would just be weird. It was one of Sturm Manor’s lesser used rooms, one without windows. In fact, I had no idea what we used it for. Regardless, we had our servants empty it of furniture and clean it out, before placing a bed in there.
Aside from the inquisitors and Grand Priest Darius, my parents would also keep a watch on me. I think they wanted to see for themselves what happened, even if they couldn’t do much to help. Kaylee and my disciples wanted to observe as well, but we told them no. The room would already be crowded enough.
Once our group arrived, Grand Priest Darius and the inquisitors went to work. They started drawing a magic circle using a familiar dark purple ink, while my parents and I observed
“Spiritblood Ink?” I asked.
Grand Priest Darius nodded, though he remained focused on his work.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s the best kind of ink for this particular kind of magic circle.”
I studied the magic circle, though it soon became clear that it was far above my level of knowledge. It was more advanced than anything I had studied before, except for the complex magic circle that the necromancers used when they attacked the Sun Guard. I wondered what it did.
“This magic circle will seal the mark, allow us to study it so we can better figure out how to detect others like it,” Grand Priest Darius continued, as if to answer my unspoken question. “If we’re lucky, it will allow us to read the aura of the Dark wizard who cursed you.”
I nodded. That made sense. When a wizard cast a spell, that spell contained traces of their aura. It was the equivalent of a signature, or a magic fingerprint. However, most spells didn’t last long enough for others to read said signature. On the other hand, long term spells, magic circles, and enchanted items could be studied.
If they found the aura of the asshole who cursed me and the other heirs, we would be one step closer to figuring out who was behind this and what they were after.
“Grand Priest Darius,” Inquisitor Lewin said, shooting me a look. “Is it wise to explain the church’s secrets to an outsider?”
Grand Priest Darius chuckled at that.
“Since Lord Gabriel here is risking his life to help us,” he said. “The least we can do is let him know why he is risking his life. Besides, Lord Gabriel isn’t as much of an outsider as you might think, Inquisitor Lewin.”
High Inquisitor Corvus, who had been drawing this entire time, paused at Grand Priest Darius’ words.
“I see,” he muttered, before continuing his work.
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“Unfortunately,” Grand Priest Darius said, looking right at me. “Since the mark is a beacon that attracts mental spirits and demons, sealing it won’t help you. If it drew in other kinds of spirits, that would be a different matter. You’ll have to endure long enough for us to figure out what we need to know.”
I nodded. Mother grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Father put a hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t have to do this,” Father said. “It’s not too late to turn back.”
I shook my head.
“You know why I’m doing this,” I said. “I won’t turn back now.”
Mother squeezed my hand harder.
“Just be careful,” she said. “Come back to us. That’s all I ask.”
“Yes, Mother,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
Aurora popped out of my dantian.
“Don’t worry, Lady Sturm,” she said, hovering in front of Mother. “I’ll keep our Gabriel safe.”
Mother smiled.
“Thank you, Aurora.”
Inquisitor Lewin jerked when Aurora appeared, almost ruining the magic circle. The other two continued working without batting an eye, as if they expected something like this to happen. Grand Priest Darius might have. I wasn’t so sure about High Inquisitor Corvus.
When they finished drawing the magic circle, the high inquisitor handed me a potion. It was dark purple, almost black, with little golden specks floating in it. Pretty. It was as if someone had bottled up a bit of the night sky.
“This is a Dream Walker Potion,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “This will put you to sleep and allow you to remain lucid while dreaming. It will give you an advantage when dealing with mental spirits and demons.”
While I appreciated the gesture, I didn’t need a potion to help me lucid dream. Still, I wasn’t going to turn it down. That would be rude.
“Thank you,” I said.
I drank the potion before laying down on the bed. The potion took effect almost immediately, and I started feeling drowsy. Man, this Dream Walker Potion was no joke if it could affect a Foundation Establishment cultivator like myself.
It didn’t take long before I closed my eyes and fell asleep. When I opened them again, I found myself in the dark forest.
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The forest was clearly some mental demon’s attempt to scare me. I’m guessing a fear demon. Mental spirits and categorized by the emotion or concept they aligned with or evoked. Fear, lust, love, truth, etc. Too bad this fear demon’s attempts fell short. While the forest was spooky, I found it a bit lacking. Even Gloom Mist Forest creeped me out more than this place. That was because Gloom Mist Forest was alive, and filled with dangerous magic beasts. This forest was too stale and stifling; stagnant.
Granted, if I was just the teenager I looked like, and not also a reincarnated Immortal, that would be a different story. As it was, I just found the place boring after a while. At least send a monster to chase after me or something, I mean come on. That said, if a monster did chase after me, I would just kill it. This was a dreamscape, where one’s will shaped reality. Unlike the Stone Corridor, which was a dreamscape created by a god, I had the advantage here.
Just as I thought that, I heard something not too far from me. It sounded like something scratched a nearby tree. I paused to listen in. Another sound reached my ears; fabric scraping against bark.
Making as little noise as possible, I sneaked towards the source of the sounds to see what it was. Just as I reached the area they came from, Aurora, in her human form, jumped out.
“Boo!” she said.
I gave her a flat look before flicking her forehead.
“Nice try,” I said.
“Ow,” Aurora said, scowling. She rubbed her forehead. “That hurt.”
“That’s what you get for trying to pull a childish prank like this,” I said. “What are you? Twelve?”
Aurora pouted.
“You’re no fun,” she muttered.
“I’m plenty fun,” I said. “I’m just not in the mood for juvenile pranks.”
Aurora’s pout deepened, before she frowned and looked around at the dark forest.
“I don’t blame you,” she said. “This place is lacking a little something, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“Maybe we should change it up a bit,” I said.
With an effort of will, I began to rework the world around me. Something resisted my efforts, but I brushed it aside with ease. For a reincarnated Immortal like myself, dealing with a pissant little fear demon was nothing. Later on, when the more powerful mental spirits and demons came along, that would be a different story.
The trees grew shorter, until their branches came into sight. To my disappointment, the branches looked normal. I made the trees thinner and whiter, until they looked like they were made from bleached bone. I twisted the branches, until they looked like claws grasping at the sky above. Speaking of the sky, I added in a moon, to provide some illumination, as well as some clouds to make it seem more mysterious.
After finishing with the trees and the sky, I focused on the wind. It howled as it weaved its way through the tree branches, making them creak and groan. I then added in thick underbrush that rustled once in a while, as if there was something scurrying about. I left the mist alone, since that worked just the way it was.
When I finished, I examined my handiwork and smiled. I enjoyed shaping dreams, though I didn’t do it often since I preferred reality. Dreams were far too malleable. Reality was always more interesting, though I knew some people would claim the opposite. To each their own I guess.
Aurora pursed her lips as she looked around.
“Not bad,” she said. “Though I had hoped for something that wasn’t a haunted forest. It’s pretty dreary.”
I pinched my chin between my index finger and thumb.
“You have a point,” I said. “Let’s brighten things up.”
I snapped my fingers, and the haunted forest around us disappeared. Instead, we found ourselves in a brightly lit plain, with grass that came up to our waists. The plain stretched on into the horizon, undulated with gentle hills. Aurora and I stood atop one of those hills. A strong wind blew past, causing the grass to wave. The sun shone high in the cloudless sky, its heat blanketing the plain.
Aurora took a deep breath.
“Hmm,” she said. “Now this is better.”
Something roared before I could respond. The ground in front of us exploded as a massive worm erupted out. Aurora and I barely had enough time to avoid getting showered with dirt. The worm was two dozen feet long, and as thick as a tree trunk. Its body was this sickly gray color, with green and black spots all over. At one end was an open maw filled with serrated teeth. The stench of sulfur and rotting flesh filled my nostrils.
Ugh. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
The fear demon, in the form of this disgusting worm, roared again and lunged towards us. I watched it approach with a calm expression on my face, before I reached out and plucked the fear demon out of the air. It fought against me, but my will overpowered its own, though the effort made my headache a little. The worm shrank until it was only a few inches long. I held it by its tail, while the fear demon tried to wriggle free.
“Here,” I said, holding the fear demon out to Aurora. “Dinner time.”
Aurora gave me a disgusted look.
“Really?” she asked. “You want me to eat that thing?”
“It’s good for you. You need to eat so you can grow into a big and strong dragon.”
Aurora rolled her eyes before she took the fear demon and swallowed it whole, grimacing as she did so.
“It tastes like rotten eggs,” she said.
“That would explain the smell of sulfur,” I said. “It could be worse. We’ll see what the next one will look like.”
Even as I said that, the dream around us warped and twisted until it resembled a battlefield. Corpses littered the landscape, which stretched out as far as the eye could see. The stench of blood and mud filled the air. Crows picked at the corpses, cawing as they enjoyed their meal. Smoke rose into the sky. The sun remained in the same position, though it was a dull red instead of a bright yellow; like the eye of a malevolent god. The weeping and moaning of dying men and women rang out.
All in all, it was more effective than the dark forest, but it was nothing compared to some of the battlefields I had seen as Immortal Celestial Thunder.
“Right,” I said, looking around. “Let’s find this fucker.”
----------------------------------------
Aurora and I continued to deal with the mental spirits and demons as they haunted my nightmares. Since most of them were weak, they were easy to handle. Honestly, the hardest part was finding them. Some were like the fear demon, in that it barely took any effort to flush them out. I just needed to change the landscape a bit, and they came out after us. Others required more effort to hunt down. They came into my mind, expecting easy prey, only for them to become prey themselves.
Once we found the mental spirit or demon currently haunting me, I shrank them and fed them to Aurora. While she complained about how they tasted, she ate them anyway. With each one she consumed, Aurora grew a little more powerful. This in turn helped me grow a little more powerful, since Aurora and I were linked. The two of us continued like this for a while.
I didn’t know how long this went on for. Time was weird in dreams. Sometimes it felt like only a few minutes had passed, while other times it felt like it had been centuries. Since I was a reincarnated Immortal, and had lived for thousands of years in my first life, a few centuries was nothing. Still, I guessed that a few hours had passed in the waking world.
About halfway through, my head started to ache. While the pain didn’t bother me too much, it remained persistent, a sure sign that I was overexerting my mind. This would further delay the healing process. Still, it wasn’t like I had much choice in the matter. The only thing to do was push on ahead.
While the mental spirits and demons that came after me were weak for the most part, Aurora and I encountered a few that were clever. One demon locked us in a haunted house, complete with zombies and ghosts to attack us. Just as I was about to set the house on fire and rearrange the dreamscape, I heard Annabelle scream before she burst through a door.
“Gabe!” she yelled, her voice filled with relief. “Thank god, you’re here. I was so scared!”
I knew that this not-Annabelle was either the mental demon responsible for this current nightmare, or a part of the dream created by said demon, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her. Even when she rushed towards me for an embrace, I stood there, frozen. Aurora solved the issue by grabbing the not-Annabelle, ripping out her heart, and eating it.
After finishing off the demon, she looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Really?” she asked. “You know that wasn’t actually Annabelle, right?”
I nodded.
“Even in a dream, I can’t hurt her,” I said, before grimacing. “This is bad. They’re starting to get into my memories and my weaknesses.”
Aurora sighed, before patting me on the cheek.
“Good thing I’m here then,” she said, her tone slightly mocking. “Don’t worry, Gabe. I’ll protect you from Annabelle.”
I rolled my eyes and set the haunted house on fire.
After that, Aurora and I continued on as before, until we found ourselves in one of my worst nightmares. Rather, we found ourselves reliving one of my worst memories. I clenched my fists when I saw where we were.
“What is this place?” Aurora asked, looking around.
“The arena in the Solarian Imperial Academy,” I said through gritted teeth.
The Solarian Imperial Academy was laid out like a college campus. It was comprised of several buildings that occupied a plot of land in the middle of Sunheart. There were the dorms, the main building where most of the lectures took place, the alchemy labs, and more. One of these buildings was the arena. It was used mostly for combat training and practice, but it was also where any duels between students took place.
The center of the arena was a circular sand pit with a radius of about fifty yards. This was so students had plenty of space during training and practice. It also gave them plenty of room to move around in when they dueled. A stone amphitheater wrapped around the sand pit so spectators could observe any training or duels that occurred. There was a magic circle in place to prevent any stray attacks from hitting the spectators. What could only be described as a VIP box had been set up, so that teachers and important guests could watch in comfort.
In this particular memory, the amphitheater was jam packed as students from all years watched the duel currently taking place. Teachers filled the VIP box, including the various department heads as well as the dean and vice dean. It looked like the entire academy had come out to watch. While the duel itself wasn’t that spectacular, since neither combatant was all that powerful, it was who they were that made the duel interesting.
Aurora and I stood near the bottom of the amphitheater, right next to the magic circle that surrounded the sand pit.
“Is that you?” Aurora asked, looking down.
“Yes,” I said, before sighing. “This is the memory of my duel with Annabelle, just before she shattered my Circles and almost crippled me for life.”