Chapter 102 - A Way (4)

Yao Yun swallowed his spit as he saw from afar how raging and scary the hellfire was. The columns of fire were tightly knitted together as they reached the sky. Also, for some reason, he could smell wet earth. It was very strange considering the rising temperature of the atmosphere. Wait… maybe beyond the hellfire was already flooded with water? But it wouldn't smell this strong.

He put his confusion behind and looked back to where the mages were preparing for a strong spell to somehow make a small gap between the columns of fire. They were also kind of rejoicing from finally being freed from the underground. The mana wasn't too thick like before and the ice was slowly being melted from the hellfire and the heat from the sun.

Though… they were sweating hard from this sudden rise of temperature.

"Phew… when will we start? I can't wait to get away from this extreme heat. My cooling spell is slowly running out," one of them complained.

"Once everybody is settled," Alton said, the one leading the group from the underground city of Hamel. He was quite tall for an underground resident that didn't have enough vitamin D and burly as his skin was pale. He was the only one that was tall enough to contend with the Central Marsh people.

"When is that?!" Another complained as he stepped forward to voice his unrest.

"Which underground city did you come from?"

"Barheil," the man arrogantly said.

Barheil, one of the leading underground cities that was just beside a small gold mine. Because of a gold vein, the mages there were a little more stronger against the thick mana outside that leaked into the mine. All their lives, they believed that they would fare much better than the other low-lives that didn't even have one pure gold in their pockets. To show off, they only sent their best mages and warriors. They also rejoiced that the mana in the atmosphere wasn't too thick, so they could put their best into this work.

"I see. Please get your companions and prepare the spell to open up a hole in that wall of fire. We will assist when you need us."

The man waved his hand with a smirk then left.

"What are you doing, Alton?" His comrade, Eulaile, who was a few heads smaller than him, asked.

"They still don't know how formidable this wall of fire is yet."

Knowing his intentions, Eulaile nodded.

Yao Yun watched the group of mages from Barheil approach the raging columns of fire. They chanted a huge spell as more sweat poured out of their body. The people closely monitored their target to see if they needed help, but after a few moments, nothing changed. They tried harder to chant as a bigger spell circle appeared where they were standing.

Suddenly, the man leading them vomited blood from the setback and the reaction from the wall of fire.

"This… this…!"

Instead, it grew larger and the ice around them melted and boiling water was produced. They stepped back hurriedly as another obstacle appeared before them. The water continued to boil as the fire burned more. Suddenly, there was a shriek beyond the wall of fire. The fire exploded and crackled. There was a speck of fire that flew at him, but… strangely, he felt something complex and reached out to touch that speck. Fortunately, it didn't feel hot as before. The temperature around him dropped as he tentatively approached the impregnable wall of fire.

"Yun?!" Althas screamed in terror.

"Hey! Don't go there!" Jairen tried to stop him in panic.

Then, a small opening appeared.

"?!"

The rest of them were baffled.

Yao Yun tilted his head when something seemed to be beckoning at him to enter. As he approached, the opening grew larger to accommodate his size. However, when the people started approaching, even at a distance, the opening immediately closed. Yao Yun panicked as he felt the complex feelings in his heart slowly disappear.

He shouted, "Stay away! I will enter alone!"

"But…!"

"You saw it! I am the only one who can enter this hell! So, stay back!"

"...."

When everybody backed off, Yao Yun exhaled and the opening appeared, narrower than before. He exhaled once again then entered through the gap. The fire engulfed him and there weren't any more gaps that appeared.

"Why is he able to enter?" The question finally surfaced.

"That Emersyn must have left something inside Yun's heart…," Jairen said.

"Emersyn?"

"She's the one who brought the hateful dragons into Tamel and almost killed the person who came into that fire. I also heard from the Central Marsh people that those dragons infiltrated inside their realm and destroyed it before it disappeared. And now, as you all know, she is the one who awoke the demon world."

"I see. We never really bothered knowing her name."

"You can just forget it. It doesn't matter anyway. We will kill her once Yao Yun does his job inside."

"Alright. Let's fall back. We'll wait for him."

Screams.

Nightmares.

And cries.

Inside a swelling of dark energy, Emersyn sprawled on the solid cloud, her eyes continued to stream out tears as it looked dead. Memories kept on appearing in her head and played so vividly that she could feel her aching heart go numb.

Incomprehensible mumbles came out of her dried lips.

"... kill me...."

***

Yao Yun fell on the surface of the exposed earth as he tried to balance himself against the shock of the fall. Then, he looked around and saw that there were droplets of water that kept the earth wet. His eyes gazed up and went wide as he saw that there was a huge congregation of water in the sky.

"Wow…," he exclaimed in awe.

The temperature was cool as he inhaled the scent of petrichor. However… there was a boiling mana just ahead. He couldn't really enjoy at this time and went ahead. His feet became heavier each step towards. His breathing became ragged as he, suddenly, halted his steps. He couldn't go near it at all. He felt hopeless. He felt so weak. He vomited blood as he collapsed on his knees, his mind a mess. He forced himself to calm down as he breathed deeply and exhaled through his mouth.

He could sense a lot of raging mana ahead and knew that Emersyn was at the center of it all.

"Emersyn....," he called.

"Emersyn!" He shouted.

Then, he heard a faint voice. So faint that he barely caught it.

"... kill me...."

But he couldn't do anything. He grieved.

***

Her consciousness disappeared and the machines surrounding the battered body of a woman. Steam rose from the oxygenated liquid of the cylinder, overheating the machines until it broke.

"Oh no…. Call His Majesty!"

"No, no, no!"

"Your Highness! Please hold on!"

Suddenly, there was a handsome man that ran towards the container that held his beloved. His shaking hand touched the heated glass on the verge of breaking and gently c.a.r.e.s.sed it. He clenched his fist and immediately connected through her that still hadn't disappeared. Her soul.

"Your Excellency! It's dangerous, so please step back!"

The men called him, but he didn't stop.

"Your Excellency! Please!"

"Stop whining!" He ordered, and the rest held their bated breath. "Don't stop me. I beg of you."

"Your Excellency…."

"She still have a connection to her original body. I will take her back, even if it cost me my life."

Elodiaren said then closed his eyes.

More people seemed to connect through her mind even though her senses and heart went incredibly numb. She just wanted to die alone, yet these annoying people kept on knocking on her door; loudly at that.

Suddenly, the image of a child smiling at her as she killed him so vividly came in her mind. Her heart ached once more, then it disappeared fast like how it came.

Suddenly, there was a slight c.a.r.e.s.s on her cheek.

The memory of that person who light c.a.r.e.s.sed her cheek then suddenly hitting it with all their might came. The pain on her stomach, face and limbs came back. However, it only put a tickle on her body.

"Akeevah, do you want to come with us? We'll play with the uncles and aunties."

Ah… that name. She already forgot that name.

"Yes!"

Hahaha… kid, you don't have any ideas that it would be the start of your nightmares.

Shot with a gun. Broke a few limbs. Tortured.

She still remembered how she cried for nights and pleaded to make it stop. However, her pleas and cries never reached anyone. Even when she was saved, that hope quickly disappeared. No one. No one was there. She lived her life all alone. The hope that someone would save her was gone. Even though people came to comfort her, she couldn't face their sincerity head on. She felt burdened. She felt like running away. She considered dying, and she did. If only… if only that stupid system never blocked that option, she could have died then and there. Why did it gave her the reason to live? Why was it… why did she just let it be? Why couldn't she just kill herself until her life ran out?

She mocked herself.

Why was it that made her want to live?!

Ah… she was not completely dead after all. Maybe… deep down… she still wanted someone to save her.

She laughed at herself derisively.