Chapter 668 - A Village Within The Fog

Ako copied Kana and held the hilt of her new sword. She couldn't wait until nightfall to begin her sword training. Of course, anything that Kana gave Ako she would cherish, even if it was a blade of grass. Kana was like a god to Ako. While she was Kana's contracted beast, her worship of Kana was borderline fanaticism. If Kana told her to die, she would take her own life. While some of this was due to her contract with Kana, a lot of it has to do with the way Kana treats her. Kana treats her like a friend and family member, never asking for too much and always worrying about her. In her life after her parents died, Kana was the only one to treat her in such a way.

Kana and Ako continued traveling during the day. At night Kana would spend an hour teaching Ako a few sword moves and then have her practice on her own. Only with practice would one become good at something. 

Their current goal was the northern woods, where rank two to four demonic beasts roamed. Kana decided to go to this place because the sect master suggested it. The trip there would take a month's time, and there were no towns or villages on the way. Or there was not supposed to be. Kana was halfway to the northern woods when she came across a small village that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Ako, the sect master said there were no villages this way, right?"

"That is what he said. Maybe it's due to the fog? We have been walking through it for a few days now… Maybe we went off course…"  Ako got a strange feeling from this place. She just could not tell why.

A few days prior, they had come upon a fog bank that basically cut the land in two. Kana did not wish to try to walk around it and decided to try her luck by walking through it. But now, after a few days, they came to a strange village within the fog.  "Since we are here, let's at least check it out. From the looks of it, the place is really run down. It might be abandoned. Help me watch my back." 

Kana did not like how the fog was so thick, so without Ako watching her back, she might end up dead without knowing why or how she ended up that way. Ako happily drew her sword and excitedly said: "Don't worry, Master, no matter what, I will not let anything attack you from behind."

"Then I will be counting on you." Kana smiled as she held the hilt of her sword. Ever since she got this sword, she had yet to use it. But when teaching Ako how to use a sword, she couldn't help feeling the sword was made just for her. Everything about it, from the weight to the way it swished through the air, seemed to breathe perfection to her.

Kana wondered one day if she would ever be able to forge a sword like this. She hoped to learn the forging technique of this world as well so she could pass them on to her handsome husband. She knew that if she learned a bunch of forging techniques, it would make Creige very happy. He was a forging geek, after all.

The two slowly made their way into the village, keeping themselves aware of their surroundings at all times. They did not dare to let their guards down for even an instant. "I do not sense anything…"

"Me neither, but I still get a strange feeling from this place." Ako still couldn't put her finger on what she found off about this place. It was really starting to bother her.

"I don't think it matters. Whatever will come will come. For now, we can only stay alert and take anything that comes towards us as an enemy."  Kana hoped nothing powerful was lurking in this place, but as of now, there was no way of telling.

The two arrived at the middle of the village, where a large pillar made of black jade was embedded in the village center. Kana found this truly odd as most villages would have a well of some kind in the city center. There did not seem to be any wells anywhere else from what she could tell. But she had not investigated thoroughly enough to actually say that there were no wells. But the strangeness of the large black pillar got even stranger upon close inspection. When Kana took a closer look, not only was there nothing on the smooth black surface, it was actually balancing at a point on the ground. "What exactly is this…" 

"I'm not sure. But I have noticed that as soon as we got close to this pillar, there has been no wind at all. It's like this whole area around the pillar is warded off." Ako had an urge to reach out and touch the pillar, but she did not dare in case something strange happened. 

But just because Ako did not dare to do it did not mean Kana was someone who could resist the big red button in front of her. It seems that on some things, her brain just shuts off. "Wait, Master, don't!

Ako cried out, but it was already too late. Kana was already running her hand all over its smooth surface. But when she heard Ako call out, she turned her head and looked at Ako questioningly: "Hmm? Wait for what…. Blerg!" 

At that exact moment, the black pillar began to shine with a black light, and a powerful suppressive force spread out from it in all directions. Kana felt like her body was being crushed as her blood stirred, causing her to puke up a mouth full of blood.  "Master!"

Ako quickly ran forward and pulled Kana away. Kana didn't even know what hit her. She wiped the blood from her mouth and stared in horror at the black fog that was now coming out of the black pillar heading straight for them! "Ako, quickly get us out of here!"

"I am trying! But I feel like my speed is greatly restricted!"