Following Black Orb's advice, Alden chose to listen first. Moreover, the Dark Soul energy from Erin no longer felt prominent, as if it had been suppressed significantly.
Inside the inn room, Alden sat on a chair with a wooden backrest. Leaning both hands on the edge of the wooden chair, Alden looked at the old man with curiosity.Erin, on the other hand, stood beside her grandfather, appearing like a lost child, confused by the situation.She always narrated her dreams to her grandfather every night. It was about meeting a middle-aged man with a regal gaze, resembling a prince or rather, a ruler.The man had a unique appearance with royal attire, different from the clothing worn by royal family members. Indeed, various regions adopted the imperial concept, much like the Devon Empire.The man had bright green eyes, a thin beard on his chin, a tall stature, and a standard body shape. His black hair had a split fringe at the front, and it waThe old man remained emotional, keeping his head bowed for a few moments. "Erin has no one else in this world but me. Due to her past, we decided to leave the village, and even if I ask her relatives to take care of her, they would refuse."This situation might align with Alioth's initial plan. He probably anticipated that Allen wouldn't refuse this request, but now the circumstances were different. The person in front of the old man was not Allen, and he had a goal to enter the dangerous Dark Dimension."Erin has dreamt of this for a long time – that the person in her dreams would come and take her to regain her memories. She's incredibly excited about it. But, on the other hand, I fear that if her memories truly return, she might turn into a creature devoid of sympathy."Alden intervened, "I've told you, I'm not the person you're looking for." From the beginning, Alioth's message to Allen contradicted what Alden intended to do.If Alioth thought
The next day.Real time passed swiftly without any additional events. In the evening, the carriage began to prepare to cross the eastern area towards the city of Delburg. Meanwhile, Alden hitched a ride to reach the Rinderr mountains.The issue regarding Erin actually proceeded quite smoothly. Erin eventually agreed to the decision. Essentially, she already knew it would happen, so there was no need for additional efforts to convince her by her grandfather.However, Erin seemed hesitant at first because she knew the fact that Alden was not the person who appeared in her dreams. But in the end, she agreed. Alden and even Black Orb knew why Erin agreed; it seemed she knew that her grandfather wouldn't live much longer.Erin was still fifteen years old. Although, in reality, at this age, women in the Devon Empire were considered adults and could even get married, Erin had no other acquaintances besides her grandfather.If her grandfather die
Bug, creatures that emerge due to anomalies in the opening of the Gate. During the Gate opening process, in a very small probability, mysterious creatures taking the form of humanoid shadows appear.According to Black Orb, Bugs are not Dark Souls. At least, He has never seen a Subspecies of Dark Soul that matches the characteristics of Bugs. Just like Dark Souls nest, Bugs also lack intelligence; they act based on instinct.However, Black Orb could conclude one thing about these creatures. Although they don't exhibit signs of being a Dark Soul sub-species, they are extremely vulnerable to magic with light properties. The closest sub-species to these creatures is Wraith, but they are still different.In the southern continent, Alden has encountered Bugs several times, and the number was even more than what they are facing now in a single encounter. Alden was able to defeat them with a single type of spell, a spell that intensifies light on a specific light
The sun had settled in the sky. Alden navigated the winding path to avoid the emerging Gate, which, according to Black Orb, connected to the second floor of the Dark Dimension."Incantation..." Alden uttered the word as he continued walking."What's with that?" Black Orb inquired."I'm just curious, did you also use incantations in the past?" Alden seemed increasingly curious about the fundamental knowledge he was learning."Dark Dimension spells don't require incantations, but when I used Elemental spells, I indeed used incantations," replied Black Orb."In the creeping dark night,In the silent sleeping horizon,Ignite, oh latent power,The fiery element that rages.""Between my open fingers,Detailed in the language of nature,Ignite, the flaming fireball,Dancing in silence.""Stir the hidden spirit,In every spark of light,Let this ball bear witness,Unquenchable, eternal magic."
Dwarf Village.A dwarf, standing just over a meter tall, walked up numerous wooden stairs leading to the top of a giant tree. This tree was called the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to be precise—a tree that grew from the original Yggdrasil seed.The dwarf's name was Moss. Currently, he served as the village chief, overseeing the entire community.He wore a helmet with a single horn resembling a rhinoceros, a thick braided beard, and his eyes were round and black. Dressed in what appeared to be sturdy armor, he exuded an air of authority.Not long ago, Moss received a report that someone peculiar was attempting to enter the village. There were suspicions that this stranger might be a Dark Soul, disregarding their appearance identical to humans.Two other dwarves accompanied him—Flint and Hewn. At a glance, anyone would struggle to distinguish between the three dwarves, as if they were the same person. However, upon closer inspection, subtle diffe
Alden was led by the dwarves to descend from the World Tree using manually crafted stairs. Interestingly, on the other side of Alden's confinement, there was a magical platform functioning like an elevator to transport people up and down the World Tree. However, for some reason, Moss preferred the manual descent via stairs.Unaware of his surroundings when brought up the World Tree, this was Alden's first direct view of the dwarven settlement. He observed many mounds of earth covered in grass, each with circular openings and glass windows—a unique housing style for dwarves, as they preferred dwelling in warm environments, digging into the ground for their homes.Attention easily fell on Alden as the dwarves regarded him with caution."Hmm, there are at least a hundred dwarves in this village," remarked Black Orb.After a while, Alden reached a larger mound, taller than the others, with a pipe extending upward, emitting occasional smoke."
"Mission?" Alden raised his eyebrows, curious."Yes, this is the proof you need to provide," Moss spoke plainly."Okay, sure." Alden agreed promptly.Moss then observed Alden becoming more cooperative; his wariness towards the young man decreased but didn't vanish entirely."I want you to go to the coastal village near Delburg city.""Hmm, okay. What am I supposed to do there?" Alden asked immediately."A Gate has appeared in the sea; it connects the second floor of the Dark Dimension and this world. The Dark Soul nesting there is called Bubble Plague. It seems that Bubble Plague is contaminating the sea's bounty, spreading a plague in the coastal village.""However, no Guardian is aware of this. No one reported any anomalies, as if everything is fine. There are no signs of a worrisome epidemic.""In fact, I have reported this to the Guardians, but none found anything amiss." Moss explained."You're ask
A few moments earlier.Two kilometers away from Heinburg, to the east.Erin took slow steps, holding a red crystal in her chest. Each step she took created frost that slowly spread around."Grandfather..." Her voice accompanied by teardrops.She had managed to escape from the pursuit of the Guardians. However, she didn't know her current location; all that surrounded her were forests, rocks, and a dark sky.A few moments later, she put on a ring with a blue gem on her index finger.She felt exhausted. Throughout the day, she had been running, only taking brief rests before running again. She was thirsty, hungry, and her body began to disobey her commands. Seeing a lush pine tree, she approached it and sat against it.She placed the red crystal on the accidental layer of ice she had created on the ground. At that moment, she realized the surroundings had turned into a frozen forest. Snow began to fall, a bad omen for her.