Chapter 55 - 55 - A Magical Place

Wandering deeper and deeper into the forest, Lucien's excitement grew as the trickle of water turned closer and closer.

Eventually, he found himself at the edge of a small clearing, hidden deep within this magical place. Amidst the treeline, he spotted it finally. At the center of the small field, seemingly amidst the vibrant, healthy emerald-colored blades of knee-high grass, he saw the source of the soothing sound.

Slicing the field into two, a thin stream of sapphire-tinted, crystal clear stream of water ventured towards the east ultimately making its way into a small hillside den. Although the sight was idyllic, transcending the standards of natural beauty, Lucien looked towards the shallow cave entrance with wariness.

Despite not being able to feel any presence coming from inside, Lucien had a hard time believing that such a place would not be occupied by some sort of beast. After all, even from this distance, he could feel strange, but at the same time, vaguely familiar warmth radiating from inside.

Familiar, yet strange because whilst it reminded him of the sensation of the Holy Energy when it infused with the cells in his body as Sera was 'healing' him, it was strange, as he could not find the source.

It was as if the cave itself was generating this source of power. It was truly a unique and magical place.

'Was this the place the system wanted me to find?' He pondered, slowly losing himself in front of this magical place.

As if responding to his thoughts while he was lost in his daze gazing towards the burrow at the side of the hill, the sudden sound of his system brought him back to reality. The dark, translucent screen of the system appeared in front of Lucien's face, bringing forth an update from his latest, assigned task.

[…::: Task update :::…]

[…::: 3) Journey towards the North, deeper into the Eden-N03's Magical Forest and find the Hidden Cave by the creek - Completed :::…]

[…::: 3) Go inside. :::…]

'What is inside? What am I searching for?' Lucien couldn't help but ask after seeing the confirmation by the system.

However, there was no response this time. Instead, his current objective began faintly flashing, as if urging him to stop wasting time and walk towards the hillside.

Taking one last look around, eventually, Lucien sighed, stepping away from the safety of the thick bark of the oak he was hiding behind and stepped into the small clearing.

Almost instantly, as if crossing an illusionary border, the air itself changed, adding a strange, undecipherable new feeling, an unfamiliar sensation to it. There was a strange rich quality to it, with a single breath he inhaled, Lucien could feel the difference.

His nervousness calmed down, he felt the soothing feeling. The creases of his worried look eased down, as slowly, gradually a thin, calm smile made its first appearance on his expression.

His rapidly beating heart began to slow down, and relax. As if the dangers of this place no longer mattered. He felt safe here as if he was where he belonged…

Suddenly, he felt the pull from the direction of the cave once again. What was a vague, faint feel from before, was now much more present. Like iron bolts towards a strong magnet, he was helpless, he was in a trance. Without any resistance, Lucien gravitated towards the entrance, arriving in front of it in mere seconds and stepping inside, braving the darkness without as much as sparing a second thought.

—-

As Lucien's figure vanished, another figure appeared at the far side, hiding behind the trees. Her blonde hair fluttered in the air as she jumped atop the tree and looked down from above.

Unlike the boy, her mind was clear, she wasn't entranced by the peculiarities of this small meadow.

Whilst she herself couldn't sense anything, her senses were still flaring, keeping her in an alerted state. Although she couldn't be certain, felt thought it's best to keep her wariness at the top. Such rich energy cannot be unguarded. There had to be something that made this place its own territory.

She kept glancing all over the area, a faint, hollow glow surrounded her figure as she slowly circulated her power, ready to jump in at a moment's notice and protect the boy.

Her previously calm look was now replaced by a worried, concerned frown, she was tightly holding onto the hilt of her short sword. A faint, hollow outline of a pair of feathery wings slowly appeared at her back. As they remained immaterial, it was impossible to tell what the meaning of this illusion was, but one thing was certain: She was keeping her attention at the maximum, ready to strike in an instant if needed.

—

Oblivious to the growing danger surrounding him, Lucien dazedly wondered inside the small burrow. As he felt the increasing heat over his cheeks, he slowly woke up from the strange dream he was pulled into.

Finding himself in the cave he was having trouble making sense of, a sudden surge of confusion and shock appeared on his face.

'W-when… No. How did I get here?' Feeling the pulsating heat caressing his skin, he looked in front of him. As he glanced towards the source, he saw a small, but a strangely deep pond of the same crystal clear, sapphire blue water stretching out on the central area of the cavern, in the rocky ground in front of him.

The warmth, the energy-rich air was coming from its direction. He also felt the same pull, this magical tugging feel, as if someone or something wanted him to dive into it and explore its very depths, reach the rock bottom.

Suddenly, as if once again reacting to his own thoughts, the system's dark-tinted screen popped in front of him, giving him new instructions above the previous one.

[…::: 3) Find the Azure Essence Crystal. Approximate location: Below the surface of the water. :::…]

'What? What Crystal? What does it look like?! No… Wait, how would I even do that?! I can't swim, nor can I hold my breath for long!' He exclaimed inwardly, as he saw the new instruction.

What stupid idea was to ask him to submerge in the water?! He never learned how to swim. He was an orphan and a test subject! Nobody bothered teaching him!

However, the system wasn't giving an inch to him. The message flashed again, urging him to get in.

'No! I won't… I can't! I cannot swim!' He refused, shaking his head. He was adamant on this topic. He will not kill himself just for the sake of some unknown entity.

Clenching his fists in stubborn denial, he turned around and was about to leave when suddenly the text on the screen updated.

Bloody letters emerged one after another, forming a new message in rapid succession.

[…::: Host's current limitation acknowledged. :::…]

'Thank god… Thank you!' Lucien sighed in relief. He was happy, did the system realize that what it wanted was a pointless endeavor?

Before he could relax, however, another message appeared in his sight, turning his relieved smile upside down in an instant.

[…::: Searching available library for resolutions…. :::…]

'It won't give up…' Lucien sighed, seeing the flashing line blocking a good chunk of his vision.

'No matter. While I wait, I can just sit down and begin assimilating the pending changes…' Perking his ears, Lucien scanned his surrounding once again, but could not sense anything out of the ordinary.

He did spot a familiar presence at a tree not too far away, but he simply smiled at it. Sera did mention she would make sure he was safe, but would not bother him in his 'little adventure'.

To be honest, he didn't really mind the care he was shown, he just wasn't accustomed to it, he was never shown anything relatable in his earlier life. People looked at him with disdain, contempt, and similar negative emotions.

Kindness, tender care… or familial love was not something he was ever shown before… Before this, the Lewis family was the first that seemed to look at him as a normal human being.

Realizing the dangerous line his thoughts were going towards, Lucien shook his head and slowly exhaled, clearing his head.

As the system was still busy trying to come up with something, he decided to enjoy the comforting air in the room, and walked to the pond and sat down cross-legged on a nearby rock.

Taking another heavy gasp of air, he slowly began to exhale, clearing his head from all disturbances, whilst slowly closing his eyelids. As his heartbeat began to stabilize and slow down, he felt the rich, warm air fill up his lungs, relaxing his nerves and slowly pulling him towards a strange, new state in his makeshift meditative session…

Unbeknownst to him, a new message appeared, although it did not give any warning. It appeared just as abruptly as it vanished just as Lucien's mind entered into a dreamlike, cataleptic state.

—

From a bit further away, Sera, who was acting as the guard, suddenly jerked her head towards the north.. A deep frown with deep-seated concern appeared over her face, as she looked through the thick depths. Her piercing gaze was fixated on the huge body of an approaching presence…