Chapter 1321 Drowning Island

Chapter 1321 Drowning Island

Sunny and Nephis had learned a few things about navigating the endlessly flowing waters of the Great River, but they were still unsure what distance separated each of the Seven Houses from each other. Nevertheless, they quickly understood that something was wrong by looking at Ananke's face. The young priestess was almost always either calm or smiling. At some point, however, a deep frown twisted her soft adolescent face, and a dark shadow was cast onto her vibrant azure eyes. Sunny was the first to notice. He studied the teenage girl in front of them, then asked:

"What's wrong?" ReAd latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Ananke lingered for a few moments. "We should have reached the Third House by now, my Lord."

There were seven artificial islands where the children of Weave spent their childhood, and although the swift ketch was supposed to reach the fifth one, they were actually numbered in reverse order — starting with the House of Birth far downstream and ending with the House of Youth. So, the Third House would have been the fifth they saw. However...

It seemed to have disappeared. The young priestess studied the vast expanse of the Great River, then mumbled with uncertainty:

"I guess... the mechanisms of the island could have broken down, sending it adrift. I haven't visited here in a long while. Still, the deterioration shouldn't have reached that stage already..."

Sunny and Nephis exchanged glances. Rising to her feet, Nephis looked north. "Could it have been destroyed by an abomination?"

Ananke remained silent, studying the ruins with a dark expression. Eventually, she shook her head. "I don't know, my Lady. Let's leave this place as soon as possible."

Despite her true age and her youthful appearance, the priestess was not a very good liar. Sunny could tell that she was keeping some suspicion to herself... but since Ananke did not want to speak of it, he decided not to press the issue, for now. He trusted her that much, at least.

The young priestess let Nephis take the steering oar and went to the bow of the ketch, still holding her harpoon. The ketch sailed past the ruins of the devastated House, giving them an opportunity to study how utter its destruction had been. None of them said anything, but all three looked somber and uneasy. Finally, they left the drowning island behind and continued moving with the current of the Great River. An hour passed in tense silence, then another. Despite Sunny's fears, no monstrous dweller of the depths attacked the small ketch. After a while, the first of the seven suns appeared from beneath the waters. The impenetrable darkness released its hold upon the sky, and a new day came, as bright and beautiful as all the rest of them.

However, there was something different about this one. When all seven suns had risen from the water, Sunny noticed that far ahead of them, in the distance, the darkness still remained. It veiled the northern horizon like a wall, connecting the surface of the Great River to the sky. Ananke was staring at the distant wall of darkness, too, her youthful face pale. He scowled. "What is it? Some ancient abomination manifesting its power? A Defiled?"

The young priestess pursed her lips, then slowly shook her head. "No, my Lord. It's much worse. It is... a storm."

Her melodious voice sounded solemn.

"A time storm..."