Chapter 521: Not giving up

As the group was busy exploring their immediate surroundings and slowly set up a plan in motion whilst they were waiting for their missing leader, the person in question was in an entirely different plane currently.

His body, as if sleeping were laying inside the base of the wide oakwood tree, whilst his soul that was spirited away was following a trail of neon green lit dotted path in what seemed to be a sub-world created by a powerful sorcerer. 

With no sense of time, Aiden wasn't sure how much time could have passed as he did nothing but diligently follow the trail set up in front of him. What originally was an arduously long straight path, eventually took a curve towards the left leading further and further into a vast space of this overbearing emptiness that surrounded them.

Even though he was merely a spirit, strangely the weariness of this strange journey began to strain his transparent body. The white ball of light, Enya who was traveling at his side, noticed his growing fatigue. Flying forward, she appeared in front of the boy speaking in her warm, gentle tone.

'[Aiden, it is okay if you are exhausted. The many events that have transpired so far today have made its mark on your weary soul.]'

Aiden, however, shook his head at her words. Even though he was failing the growing strain in his soul, he wasn't ready to give up yet. He wanted to at least reach the end of this first path. He wanted to at least gain a bit of insight into the inner workings of this new enemy that appeared. 

If this being was truly capable of such feats and create a full world just to trap some souls and then subsequently use their bodies as empty husks to house some otherworldly demons inside them… Aiden couldn't afford the leisure of rest. 

Though he was fairly certain that if here to go all out, he would most likely gain the upper hand and could defeat these hideous abominations, he wasn't alone. He had a family that he wanted to protect. He had friends, he had people he cared for.

Worse, he dreaded the thought that what if this sorcerer would somehow find his hidden world, and somehow open a portal to Haven? What if he would forcefully subjugate and torture his people just to satisfy his cruel desires? 

Even if that plane, that world had a hidden powerhouse in his master, Number 3 had his own problems to deal with. Anyways, he vowed a peaceful existence, far from the ugliness of this world for his residents, he would not allow anyone, ANYONE to threaten that promise.

'No, I can't. Not yet….' He muttered inwardly, responding to Enya's worried tone as he shook his head and kept slowly trailing the route.

'[Aiden…]' Enya sighed, seeing his adamant, obstinate expression. '[…If you are worried that you will not be able to return to this plane then you shouldn't. Since you absorbed the heart, the system will be able to assist you in returning to this place for as long as the owner wouldn't make any changes.]' 

She tried reassuring the boy, hoping that he would give up and go back to take the long-needed rest for the day and maybe try again tomorrow. Unfortunately, her words didn't seem to reach the young man, he ignored her suggestion and followed the path set out in front of him. There was nothing that could deter him from reaching his goal. Aiden was determined to reach the end and would not return until he would find something… anything.

…

Eventually, the so-far endless-looking slithering path showed a change in the scenery. In the distance, as it reached an abrupt end, the outline of what seemed like a cave appeared in front of the peculiar duo.

The outline was, unlike the dark, ebony void, had a dark greyish, outline. Its rough, natural-looking edges felt as if it was a painting plastered on a wall, rather than a subsection of this empty realm. 

Even more mysterious, a faint, flickering hollow pale globe of light could be seen at the far right corner, hovering just slightly above the dark grey solid ground.

Arriving in front of the cave entrance, Aiden could feel the air resonate in front of him. A layer of film, a barrier thin as a hair's breadth stood before him separating the two worlds. 

Though it didn't seem anything powerful, Aiden could feel the massive current of energy that surged inside this opaque barrier.

Even though his spiritual self didn't have any visible facial muscles and was more of an outline, a glowing silhouette of what vaguely resembling his frame, in reality, he was frowning as he took his time inspecting the barrier. 

His reserves were dwindling, he felt the wear and tear of today's struggles. He slowly raised his arms and reached out to gently touch the surface of this thick solidified energy raised just in front of him.

As his fingers reached its surface, he could feel the solid barrier, a thick resistance against his gentle push. He was surprised as most of the time, a barrier wasn't as solid as this, but more like a thicker, more converged gaseous-like substance that if nothing else he could slightly submerge into before he would be pushed back.

Yet, now, what he felt was similar as if he was touching a solid wall, glass, or mirror. He couldn't push in even for a bit, making his illusionary frown grow even deeper than before.

He wasn't sure that if he had enough power remaining inside him to overcome this hurdle, or even if he would be able to, he would be able to retain his form and connection or if he would be forcefully ejected back into his body.

He gazed fiercely at the cave, focusing on the small formless ball at the furthest corner. Though they did not make any contact, Aiden was fairly certain, that was the trapped soul, the lingering consciousness of the person he was set to meet. 

Yet, now that he got here when he finally reached his destination, would he be forced to take a step back and leave without a chance? Would everything he did so far be in vain?

The answer is no. Aiden wasn't ready to give up. Not until he tried everything he could. So what if he were to fail on his first attempt? At worse, he would be forced to take a couple of days of rest. Though his body wasn't entirely hidden, he was fairly certain that those mindless beasts wouldn't find it. At least not for the immediate future.

Aiden growled as he made his decision. His body slowly began to flicker, shifting into a golden glimmering shine as he gathered the last remaining bits of his energy…

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