“Ever since I was a child, I believed this place would forever be part of legends, unreachable by someone like me, a mere farmer. It’s a bit overwhelming to be here amidst the chaos, but it’s incredibly moving.”
Kassel had opened his mouth for the first time in almost an hour since setting foot in the Sky Mountains through Mount Aynacast. Jay, too, was excited to be in the fabled Sky Mountains he had only heard about, but he couldn’t quite grasp the ‘indescribable emotion’ that Kassel, an emotionally expressive guy, was talking about.
Dethain was the one leading the way. Kassel, walking right beside him, seemed more worried about what he had left behind than what lay ahead, constantly looking back. Every time he did, his eyes met Jay’s, who unintentionally found himself looking back as well. Then Jay’s eyes would meet Tanya’s, who was following at the very end.
‘Two wizards front and back, what a terrible situation.’
Jay had always had an aversion to wizards. His dislike intensified after fighting a gray-robed wizard alongside Irine in the middle of the night. He loathed these unintended eye contacts as well. Jay turned his head away overtly.
“If you have something to say, don’t hint around like that.”
Tanya spoke bluntly.
‘Is it because she’s a wizard? She’s quick to catch on!’
Jay retorted, looking straight ahead.
“I’ve got nothing to say. It’s not about hints.”
“I have a question, Jaymer. May I ask?”
“No.”
“Kassel and Jaymer, you two are so different in personality, actions, and words. How can you be like long-time friends despite having met less than a week ago? Is it really such a recent acquaintance?”
“If you’re going to ask despite me saying not to, why even bother asking for permission?”
“It’s a matter of courtesy.”
“Courtesy is…!”
Jay stopped himself mid-sentence.
“…important.”
“I didn’t have any hidden intentions. I was genuinely curious.”
Jay stopped walking, and Tanya did as well. Despite their faces being almost close enough to touch, Tanya showed no sign of discomfort. The actual distance was a step away, but six steps away in terms of Jay’s sword reach. It was a safe distance. However, he had learned from experience that distances don’t matter when facing a wizard.
‘There must be a way to fight a wizard. Master will teach me.’
Jay was very happy that Kassel had chosen him to accompany him to Lutia, but he felt regretful about not being able to stay there for that reason. It would have been the same feeling of regret in the reverse situation…
‘Wait, why was I happy about going with Kassel? Was this what Tanya was curious about?’
Lost in deep thought, Jay stood in front of Tanya.
“Master Dethain is quite ahead. We should follow.”
Tanya spoke.
Jay, realizing he had been blocking her path for a while, turned around in surprise, then turned back to Tanya.
“Kassel is a good friend. There’s no other reason.”
“Is that so?”
Tanya replied in her monotone voice, signaling with her eyes to hurry up. Jay grumbled and started walking again. However, he was momentarily confused as Dethain was nowhere to be seen.
“Go straight ahead.”
Tanya advised from behind when he hesitated.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? I’m saying this because he’s not ahead.”
“You’re not looking forward.”
Tanya pointed in a direction completely different from what Jay thought was straight ahead and continued speaking.
“Even a skilled hunter like you can lose their sense of direction in the forests of the Sky Mountains. Only those with Nadiuren’s token and wizards can find their way here without getting lost.”
Though he pretended otherwise, Jay was flustered by the unfamiliar situation of ‘not knowing which way to go.’ He kept veering off the path whenever he lost sight of Dethain, even for a moment.
“It’s this way.”
After finally finding the right direction, they came across Kassel, who had been waiting ahead.
“Jaymer is a skilled hunter who followed me by tracking my footsteps alone. Is he just as lost in this place as anyone else?”
Kassel asked Tanya, who had followed behind.
Tanya replied nonchalantly.
“It’s the same for anyone, not just hunters.”
“We should be careful, then. Is there anything else we need to be wary of?”
Kassel asked, and Dethain answered in his stead.
“There’s nothing else. Just follow me. The other two White Wolves wouldn’t have gotten lost if they had just obediently followed me.”
Jay glared at Dethain, who stood arrogantly at the front.
‘I can’t stand that guy. He’s always looking down on others. Can’t you see that, Kassel? Are you stupid or just bold!’
Kassel approached Dethain and asked.
“Please explain in detail about what happened in Lutia. We only know about the monster attack.”
‘Isn’t he going to ask about the two missing people?’
Jay thought Kassel would be the most concerned about the four White Wolves who had left for Lutia first, and if two were missing, he’d surely ask about them first. But Kassel didn’t.
Dethain explained while continuing to walk forward.
“Lutia was overrun by unidentified monsters. Specifically, the fortress collapsed, and ‘Downsearch’ fell into their hands. The two White Wolves did help significantly, but it was an overwhelming number of monsters. That’s why I expected at least twenty knights of the same caliber, but Queen Sanadiel didn’t accept.”
Dethain cut off any further questions with a tone that brooked no argument.
Jay, who had just started to appreciate the Wolf Knights as comrades-in-arms, was infuriated. Dethain had just disregarded both things Jay had come to like. Kassel, seeing Jay’s bubbling anger, turned his head and whispered.
“I’m fine.”
‘Fine? What’s fine!’
Jay muttered to himself, holding back his words.
After about an hour of walking through the dense forest, it suddenly became night. Dethain stopped and announced they would spend the night here. Jay, intending to do his usual preparation of firewood or food, started to leave the spot, but Dethain immediately stopped him.
“Don’t stray from the path! How many times do I have to tell you? If you leave the marked path here, you’ll get lost immediately.”
Jay wanted to boast about his remarkable skills as a hunter, but he organized his thoughts first to avoid confusion. Before he could speak, Kassel interjected.
“I heard Azwin and Gerald got lost. I’d like to know how that happened.”
Dethain, lighting up the darkness with a magical light from his staff, replied.
“I’ll explain gradually once we get to Lutia. Or you can ask the White Wolves who are already there. For now, focus on safely and quickly reaching Lutia. We might have to work as soon as we arrive, so get some rest early.”
Tanya called out to Dethain, who had turned to leave after his sharp retort.
“Master Dethain!”
“What is it, Master Tanya?”
“Please pay more attention to who is asking you. Kassel here is the captain of the Aranthia Wolf Knights, heading to save Lutia.”
Dethain looked back at Kassel, sighed deeply, and then turned away.
“I’ll try to be more mindful. I’m going to take a look around.”
He held his brightly glowing staff in front of him and disappeared into the darkness. The three were left in the gloomy darkness of the forest.
“Dethain used to be a considerate and easy-going wizard.”
Tanya continued, lighting up the surroundings with the beads around her neck.
“He’s also someone who worries about the future of Lutia more than anyone else. His current behavior isn’t out of disregard for you, but because he’s restless about the situation in Lutia. Please understand.”
“It’s okay. He must be displeased to expect a huge reinforcement and find only two of us here, and one being a young lad who hardly handles a sword well.”
Kassel, shaking off the rain from his hair, continued.
“In fact, I’m a bit worried too. I don’t understand why Loyal chose me.”
“There must be a reason for it.”
Tanya sat down, and Jay also plopped down on the leaf-covered ground, which seemed to have accumulated for years.
“Master Tanya, can you tell us more about the Sky Mountains?”
Kassel asked, tearing dry bread and sharing it with the others.
“What kind of stories do you want?”
Tanya asked, taking a bite of her bread.
“Various kinds.”
Kassel continued with a grand gesture.
“Myths and legends. As you might know, for ordinary people like us who are unfamiliar with the Sky Mountains, there are only fairy tales for children. Stories like a famous adventurer who climbed the Sky Mountains and got lost, only to return riding a giant monster bird, or the one about a famous hunter who entered the mountains to catch a bizarre animal and never returned, used to scare children…”
“Hmm, I like those stories.”
Jay nodded, chewing his bread.
“I’ve heard in detail about an adventurer with the same name as mine from my grandfather, but that’s more about a fairy from the Sky Mountains, not about the mountains themselves. What exactly is the Sky Mountains?”
Kassel asked.
Tanya briefly explained.
“From a wizard’s perspective, the Sky Mountains are a sacred place for dragons. Have you heard about that?”
“Only that the four dragons accompanying the Carnelock Dragon Knights came from the Sky Mountains.”
“The real history has become so blurred over time that it seems more like a legend. Dragons rule this place, and fairies, or ‘Lemifs’ as they call themselves, live under their reign. The Lemifs are divided into two factions: one despises the other, and the other hates the first. I don’t know much about that part.”
“Do the fairies, or Lemifs, live in tribes?”
“It’s more like countries than tribes. Don’t underestimate the size of the Sky Mountains. No one knows how many Lemif nations there are inside, where the southern end of the mountains is, or what lies there.”
“Have you ever seen a Lemif, Tanya?”
“I’ve seen Lemifs who came to Lutia. There’s a simple trade between us maybe once or twice a year. I’ve hardly spoken to them. I’m not fluent in Lemif.”
Jay listened to this conversation for a while, then tilted his head in thought.
“The fairy tale sounds rather dull. Like hearing about someone’s neighbor, their dog being spotted… just mundane talk. The stories I’ve heard from storytellers weren’t like that. Ah, I mean, it’s not like I’ve owned a spotted dog.”
Kassel burst into laughter.
‘Huh? Why is he laughing?’
Jay was puzzled.
Tanya asked bluntly.
“Then what’s this interesting story about the Sky Mountains you’ve heard, Jaymer?”
Jay always got flustered when asked to tell a story.
“Just… about a fairy who came down to the human world, fell in love with a human… had a child… and the fairy, I mean the baby was a fairy, the newly born baby. It’s the child they had together, not that both parents were pregnant. Of course, it was the woman. Not sure if the man or woman was the fairy. The child had wings and flew away to the sky… um, I’ll stop there.”
Jay became despondent.
“I’ve heard such stories in the taverns too, but what’s so interesting about such unrealistic tales?”
Tanya added to Jay’s gloom.
‘She’s picking a fight again.’
If Kassel hadn’t been there, Jay might have long ago risked his life in a fight with Tanya, testing how effective his ‘measuring distance’ was against a wizard, and probably would have lost his life sooner.
Previously, Jay wouldn’t have hesitated to risk his life in such a situation. But after encountering incredibly powerful beings in Nadium, he learned that sometimes it’s wise to save your life for later battles. So, now, Jay just decided to hold back, surprising even himself.
“Tanya, I heard you’re a Master in Lutia, but you don’t stay there and roam the continent. Is there a special reason?”
Kassel asked, and Tanya pondered for a while. It seemed like she was debating whether to share this story or not.
“I was looking for my master.”
Finally, Tanya spoke.
“Tanya’s master?”
“The Grand Master of Lutia, Tailed. He took me to Lutia when I was twelve and trained me as a wizard. That was about 13 or 14 years ago. I don’t remember much, it was a long time ago.”
Jay did some mental math.
‘What? She’s only a year or two older than me?’
Tanya continued.
“My master left me about ten years ago, saying a crisis was coming to Aranthia. You must know about it. And when Lontamon declared surrender and retreated, he left with the White Wolves of that time, saying, ‘We must kill the Lord of the Undying.’ That was probably about eight years ago. He never returned after that.”
Kassel listened intently and asked.
“Did something happen to him?”
“He disappeared. I heard the details from someone named Meylumil, who was directly involved in the incident.”
“One of the former White Wolves?”
“Right. Come to think of it, this is an important story you, as the captain of the Wolf Knights, should know. Master Quain would have wanted to tell you this as well.”
“I left in too much of a hurry. I hardly heard any of the stories I wanted to.”
“When we get to Lutia, I’ll take the time to tell you more.”
Tanya said, fiddling with the beads around her neck. Kassel nodded slowly.
Jay looked at Tanya’s hand and said.
“About your face.”
Tanya narrowed her eyes sharply.
“Why’s that?”
Jay asked.
“What do you mean?”
Tanya replied.
Kassel also glared. Jay, pointing at her hand playing with the beads, continued.
“Looking at your hands, I can tell you’re young. Your skin is so smooth. But why are there so many wrinkles on your face? Like you’re around seventy?”
Kassel exclaimed reproachfully.
“Jaymer!”
“What? It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s like her face and hands belong to different people…”
At that moment, Tanya suddenly lifted the bead necklace hanging on her chest.
Jay felt a chill down his spine, thinking he had made a terrible verbal blunder worthy of a magical attack. He soon realized that she was reacting to a strange vibration sound coming from behind.
Kassel craned his neck to look behind where the two were focused.
“What’s going on?”
Both Jay and Tanya shouted at Kassel simultaneously.
“Don’t move from there!”
“Stay put!”
Kassel froze, looking like a child scolded unexpectedly by a parent.
Jay drew his sword, pointing it in the direction of the sound. Initially, it seemed to come from all directions, but it gradually converged from one side. The rhythmic approach of the vibrations, accompanied by the sound of breaking branches and heavy breathing, grew closer.
“It’s the footsteps of an animal. But big. Too big.”
Jay remarked, to which Tanya responded.
“It seems bigger than an elephant.”
“What’s an elephant?”
“An animal that doesn’t live in Acrand. My mistake for using that example.”
The sound of the approaching massive beast stopped. Then, footsteps, like someone walking on fallen leaves, came closer. Jay and Tanya looked at each other and stepped forward slightly, not wanting Kassel right behind them in case a fight broke out.
“I’ll take care of the defense. If you can, please handle the offense.”
Tanya spoke, sensing instinctively that the approaching figure was not friendly.
“Is the one coming a wizard?”
Jay cautiously inquired.
“Yes, a powerful wizard.”
Tanya scanned the surroundings briefly.
“Of all times for Master Dethain to be away…”
Tanya muttered quietly, her voice still calm even in such a situation.
Soon, a wizard cloaked in a black robe emerged slowly into the blue light emitted by Tanya’s beads. The wizard silently eyed them, then extended a staff that had been hidden within the robe.
“Isn’t that guy, ‘that guy’?”
Jay exclaimed.
Before he finished speaking, the tip of the staff burst into white flames, and Tanya was thrown backward. Almost immediately, the staff turned towards Jaymer.
Jay, accustomed to judging all attacks and defenses by ‘sword distance,’ found it unfamiliar to block a magical attack that showed no distance.
‘How did Master do it?’
Jay recalled the battle where Irine and Quain faced the Lord of the Undying.
A flash of light beamed in the direction the staff pointed.
‘Let’s pretend it’s an arrow.’
Jay slashed at the empty air with his sword. At that moment, something invisible hit the tip of his sword and exploded. The impact shook his body as if he had slammed hard into a wall. His teeth felt numb.
Jay was pushed backward but managed not to fall.
The wizard, thinking the attack would have taken Jay down, took a step forward but stopped upon seeing Jay still standing. Jay licked his lips and slightly adjusted his sword.
‘Lergo’s sword is good. Or is it some other magic? Anyway, no need to worry about the sword.’
Jay spun the heated sword once on his palm, then assumed his stance.
“I think I’m starting to understand how to fight a wizard.”
“That’s fortunate. He would have been a tough opponent to handle alone.”
Tanya approached from behind, shaking her head to remove leaves and dirt from her hair.
Jay, without relaxing his guard, asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m a bit shaky, but not enough to get hit twice,” Tanya whispered almost inaudibly in Jay’s ear.
“That wizard’s magic is different from the Lord of the Undying’s. It might be powerful, but it doesn’t have the same terrifying ability to drain life and time. We can afford to take a slight hit.”
“Don’t speak so lightly. If that had hit me just now, I would have been split in two.”
“I’ll block it next time.”
“You just got blown away, didn’t you?”
“The wizard just made a mistake. He revealed that his magic is similar to mine. Now, I can block it.”
“Fine. As long as you don’t get knocked over again, I’ll take him down.”
Jay spoke with confidence.
The wizard in the black robe spread his arms and began to chant something. Jay, not wanting to give his adversary time, readied himself to charge. Suddenly, a gigantic head emerged from behind the wizard.
The pitch-black face had human head-sized red eyes on each side, brightening the darkness. Even Jay, who had never known fear from a beast, felt his legs freeze instantly. Tanya, who never lost her composure, paled.
“Retreat!”
Tanya yelled.
From the mouth lined with double rows of white teeth, something hot surged out. Initially thought to be fire, it turned out to be a mass of darkness swallowing light. Jay leapt to the left, and the hot blast from the creature’s mouth missed him, exploding behind him instead.
The blast uprooted trees around it and threw Jay into the air. Tanya’s blue light was swallowed by the darkness.
Jay crashed into the pitch-black darkness, rolling on the ground. Sharp twigs slashed his face, and hot wind mixed with cold soil covered his back.
He lay there, unable to even breathe.
For a moment, he couldn’t hear anything. It wasn’t suddenly quiet; the explosion had temporarily deafened him. Jay staggered up, trying to stand, but collapsed again. His body felt thoroughly hammered, and his limbs refused to move.
‘Don’t panic. Just do one thing at a time. First, breathe!’
Jay breathed. Soon, his breathing returned to normal.
Next, he moved his fingers and toes, and finally his arms. It took a considerable time to realize he still held his sword.
Using the sword as a support, Jay got up.
‘How long was I down?’
Unlike earlier, when nothing could be seen without the wizard’s light, there was now enough light to discern the surroundings. Looking up at the sky, he saw the moon and stars through the thinning dust.
‘Why can I see the stars now?’
Jay realized a silly question had popped into his mind. The trees that had been obscuring the sky had been knocked down by the explosion.
Jay was standing far from the blast’s epicenter.
“Kassel!”
He shouted, but his throat hurt, and the sound was weak. His face and skin burned, his eyes stung, and every joint creaked.
“Kassel, where are you? Tanya? Answer me!”
No response came.
‘Even if Kassel had responded, I wouldn’t be able to hear him. My hearing hasn’t come back yet.’
Jay continued to tap his ears, feeling only a throbbing vibration. His head spun, and it was only late that he sensed someone approaching from behind. He extended his sword.
It was Dethain.
“What has happened here?”
He wasn’t alarmed by Jay’s sword but rather by the sight of the fallen trees. His voice sounded muffled to Jay due to his ringing ears.
Jay sheathed his sword and replied.
“A big one showed up.”
“A big one?”
“A beast. A huge beast.”
Jay, pressing his buzzing head, continued.
“From its mouth, it spewed something… it was hot. Just one blast, and look what happened.”
Dethain felt around the area where the monster had appeared and murmured.
“Why here…? No, never mind. We must hurry. If that creature appears again, we can’t handle it with our current strength!”
Dethain seemed unusually panicked.
‘What exactly was that creature?’
Jay asked.
“Hey, we need to find Kassel. Do you know where he is?”
“If you’re unharmed, Tanya should be safe too. She’s a wizard capable of surviving even a dragon attack.”
“Dragon? Uh, what about Kassel?”
“Was there a fight? Where was Kassel?”
Jay pointed vaguely to a spot, right at the center of the explosion. Maybe the monster had targeted Kassel instead of Tanya and him.
“Damn.”
Jay cursed and lowered his finger. If anyone had been standing where he pointed, they wouldn’t have survived.
“I thought the two missing White Wolves had just lost their way, but seeing this, I need to reconsider the cause of their disappearance. If there’s an enemy in Lutia who can track my movements…”
Dethain’s words trailed off as he had walked quite a distance away, making it hard for Jay to hear.
“Hey, listen! We need to find Kassel!”
Jay shouted.
“Are you suggesting we look for his remains?”
Dethain replied.
Jay’s anger surged, but Dethain quickly waved his hand in apology.
“No, sorry. I was too hasty. Look around the area where the trees fell. I’ll check the nearby forest. But be very careful; that creature might still be around. Don’t stray too far from the blast center. You could get lost.”
“What was that creature, a dragon?”
“How would I know if I didn’t see it? The Sky Mountains have creatures unknown even to Lutia’s scholars.”
Dethain spoke patiently, and Jay, not wanting to waste time arguing, nodded.
Dethain was right. After half an hour of searching, Jay found no trace of Kassel.
Still unable to discern north from south, Jay’s hope that Kassel might be alive was waning.
Dethain returned from the darkness, out of breath and sweaty.
“Now do you believe me? We can’t find Kassel here. If an ordinary person strays from the path, they can’t be found with simple searches. Trust me. Tanya might be injured somewhere, and I want to find her, but if the creature attacked us once, I can’t guarantee there won’t be a second attack. We need to return to Lutia.”
Jay couldn’t trust Dethain, but he had no choice but to follow.
‘I swear, whoever that cursed wizard is, they won’t get away with this!’
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/jB26ePk9