Chapter 435 - My Beloved

The inhuman treatment of the Demis weighed heavily on his heart, but Arthur had a mission to finish. So, as he stood on the edge of the forest, he used his detection rune to find any traces of the hydra's child.

There were none.

Arthur sighed and walked into the forest, his eyes looking for any clues he could find. Just because his detection didn't find anything, it didn't mean that the soldier was lying; no one could lie to his art.

More than one possibility could explain why he couldn't find anything in the forest, and that was a counter-ability that prevented him from seeing anything. For example:

"Larza's isolation ability or the ender's powers," Arthur muttered as he looked through the trails for anything, but there was none.

The exact mechanism of the snake woman's ability was a mystery to him, but he knew that she could isolate anything from space and time. Evidence of that was his arm that hasn't rotten even after a month or so from being cut.

Arthur grabbed the end of his left shoulder, and he could feel as if the flesh there was never destroyed. The slash she used to amputate his arm was also a product of her traits, and it detached his arm as if he was a doll. Yet, on the other hand ­­– although there wasn't one – his arm felt as if it had healed years ago.

The forest was quiet and eerie, and it made him wonder how desperate those lovers were to sneak into this place. His footsteps rang loudly on the dirt path, and he made no effort to conceal them.

Neither his perception nor detection could pick up anything, not even his ability to feel existence. That's why Arthur began to feel like this was a dead-end when he started healing a soft melody.

It came in a whisper so low that he doubted if he imagined it. However, the deeper he walked into the forest, the louder it became until he could tell it was what the soldier had described.

There were no words, only tunes sung using the sweetest of voices. It compelled Arthur to draw near, but he could tell that it was not out of his desire.

His soul was powerful enough to reject such charming magic, but it should be different for ordinary people. Yet, he walked deeper into the forest until he found a cave and the source of the singing.

A soft peace washed over his heart, and it was no wonder that anyone who heard this would turn a new leaf as that soldier did. The peace must not be disturbed but protected.

The cave went downward, and Arthur knew that whatever resided in this place was not peaceful as the song promised. On the contrary, the more he listened, the more he was convinced that the song was a wailing.

Arthur descended into the cave, and the darkness welcomed him like the dearest of friends. Then, the light was vanquished, and only the singing remained.

There were no outlines of things, only darkness that persisted even when he used his flames. This was enough to confirm that it was no ordinary cave, and this darkness didn't stem from the lack of light.

The wailing continued, becoming the sole thing he could perceive. It seemed to try consuming his mind, but it failed at every instance. Arthur wondered what would happen if he allowed it to take control over him.

The descent continued with no signs of stopping, and Arthur was beginning to realize that the path ahead wasn't a physical one but illusive. As long as he didn't fall for the illusion, he would keep walking until he did.

"I need to search the web for Beginner's Guide on How to Fall for Illusions," Arthur sighed. It was one thing to resist, but to willingly let down your mental barriers? A normal brain would automatically try to resist, so it was hard to convince it.

Furthermore, falling for an illusion was deadly, as a mental prison was easier avoided than left. However, there seems to be a loop for the wailing, and Arthur wanted to find the hydra's child.

'I'll just write my own beginner's guide,' Arthur thought as he took out an accessory and a core. It was time to make use of his artifacts. They floated away from his hand, and the Dispel rune appeared in their place. The core and rune fused before turning ethereal, and the ashes flew out into the wind of the cave.

The ring descended to the rune, and they merged. Runic lines began appearing on the ring, and Arthur slipped it into his hand.

Arthur realized something as he wore the ring. A blank expression appeared on his face when he turned toward his missing right arm, as he realized the most inconvenient thing about losing an arm. "Holy shit, I have one less limb to wear artifacts."

Rage boomed in his heart for such a realization. His fighting style currently depended on his runes and arts, so he didn't lack places to use his artifacts.

The melody worked to ease his nerves, but he vowed to take revenge. The great saints asked people to be forgiving and merciful, but to be merciful to your enemies is to be cruel to yourself.

"The first step to fall for an illusion, in this guide, is to have a mechanism to come back. You will be that mechanism," Arthur said to his ring.

Then, he closed his eyes and allowed the melody to fill his mind. An invisible hand reached out and tried to take hold of his mind, and he didn't resist. However, his survival instinct kicked, and the walls pushed away from the illusion in an instant.

"I know that you are capable, soul. However, can you not be for a bit?" Arthur sighed as he realized that his beginner's guide wasn't going to be a bestseller at this rate.

So, he had to think of the second step. Illusions work best against weak people, those with desire and something on their minds. That's why the next step would be the cliche and the most overused 'find your happy place.'

"A place where you'd be happy," Arthur closed his eyes again, and his imagination ran wild. If he had to choose a place where he is happy, it would be a late afternoon as he waits for dinner with his brother.

However, his imagination began including others that weren't originally there. Jonah, Oliver, Emma, Ori, Gala, Diana, and the list went on.

They were all people that he trusted and missed. Master Ronin was drinking tea with his father on the side, and his mother was with Ivy and Hua. Li was fighting against himself in the backyard while Jonah stood to the side, the one who copied the masked man.

They were all safe, away from everything. And for that moment, Arthur was happy because it was all he ever wanted. For the people he cared about to be with him, comfortable and safe. The next moment, the darkness slipped into his mind, and Arthur fell for the illusion.

The next step in his guide would be to wake up, but he could enjoy the dream for a bit before he does.

***

The moment that Arthur felt something unusual, he quickly left the illusion by using the rune. A simple condition for activating was mana, and it was easy to use mana even in a trance.

The landscape got torn down like a painting, and what was revealed was a lit cave shining with green light. The song stopped, and in front of him was a plant that seemed to be the singing culprit.

Arthur turned to look behind him, and he could see the darkness that he was in a moment ago. The hole in the wall made it look as if someone lit a paper on fire from the middle, and it was slowly growing back.

As he turned back toward the plant in front of him, he could see that there were corpses around it. Lifeless and pale bodies circled the cave's center, where a small stone platform had a glowing sphere above it.

The figure in front of the platform turned to meet his eyes, and Arthur met the person who he sought revenge from in the most unexpected of places. Her snake eyes have narrowed down, abandoning any humanity they held in them. Scales lined her face starting from her eyes to her neck. A long tongue centered her giant fangs, and her lips curved into a smile.

"My Beloved," Larza hissed in Alvan Language, and her voice brought back all the memories Arthur had with her.

"Larza," Arthur frowned as his eyes surveyed the cave. The sphere of light in the middle was pulsing with life, but there was an ominous feeling in the way she smiled at him. "Why are you here?"

"I think you know," she stood up from the platform and turned to him. "But you are too late, My Beloved."