bdsm-fiction Chapter 157: Into the Realm [3]
Chapter 157: Into the Realm [3]
Cael’s eyelids felt heavy as he opened them.
He blinked once. Twice. His vision was blurry, edges soft, colors smeared.
He pushed himself up from the ground, his palms pressing against something solid.
Then his vision cleared.
Cael saw a sight that made him freeze.
Two mountains rose before him, their peaks so high they seemed to pierce the sky.
But not a sky he recognized. A sun hung above, small and distant, casting light across a landscape that should not exist underground.
’This realm had its own sun? Is that even possible?’
Cael turned his head slowly, taking it all in.
There were trees everywhere. Not the twisted, dark trees of the Rainfall Forest. These were massive, ancient, their trunks wider than any building he had seen.
Their leaves were thick and green, shimmering in the light. Between the trees, he saw water channels cutting through the earth, their surfaces still and dark like mirrors.
Cael felt the air press against his skin.
It was heavy. Each breath filled his lungs with something thick, almost liquid.
He recognized the sensation immediately. Mana. But not like anything he had felt before. This was concentrated and crushing.
Cael estimated the mana density here is at least fifty to sixty times denser than the surface.
Then he tried to move.
His legs felt like lead. His arms felt like stone. Every movement required effort, as if the world itself was pressing down on him.
Cael took a step, and his foot hit the ground harder than he intended. The gravity was 3 to 4 times stronger than on the surface.
Cael turned his head and saw Junior lying nearby, still unconscious. His face was pale as his chest rose and fell slowly.
Cael looked up at the sky again. The sun was too small. Too perfect. It did not move. It simply hung there, casting the same light, the same shadows.
Then he felt it.
A subtle hum beneath his skin. His Time element was stirring, reacting to something in the air. He focused on it, letting the sensation wash over him.
And he understood.
’Time flows differently here.’
Five days in this realm would be only one day outside. The realization settled into his mind.
He did not know how he knew. He simply did.
Cael looked down at his own body. His muscles were still adjusting to the gravity. His lungs were still struggling with the mana density.
But something was happening beneath his skin. His innate ability, the Adaptable body, was already working.
He could feel it. His cells were shifting, changing, learning to exist in this new environment.
He was not fully adapted yet. But he was more adjusted than he had any right to be.
But Junior was not so lucky.
Cael crouched down beside the blind boy and checked his pulse, which was steady. He would wake up eventually.
But Cael could not wait here. They needed a safe place. Somewhere to rest. Somewhere to plan.
He lifted Junior onto his shoulders. The boy was lighter than expected, but the gravity made every ounce count.
Cael’s legs strained as he walked, scanning the landscape for shelter. Sadly, he saw nothing suitable.
Then he looked up.
The branches of the ancient trees stretched outward like arms, their leaves thick and overlapping.
Some of the branches were wide enough even to sleep on. Some were hidden behind curtains of green.
Cael gathered wind beneath his feet and pushed himself upward.
The gravity fought him. The dense mana resisted him. But he climbed, branch by branch, until he found what he was looking for.
A wide branch, high above the ground, covered in thick leaves that formed a natural roof.
He placed Junior down gently, resting the boy’s back against the trunk. Then he sat on the branch beside him, his legs dangling over the edge.
’Am I missing something?’
Cael’s eyes widened in realization.
His clones. Where were they?
He had not sensed them since entering the realm.
Without hesitation, Cael drew a dagger from the space pouch and made a small cut across his palm.
Blood welled up, dark red against his skin. Two drops fell from his hand, splashing against the branch.
The drops shimmered, shifted, and grew.
Within seconds, two figures stood before him. Black Lightning Clone. Frostflame Clone. Their eyes were alert, their bodies tense.
Cael watched as the cut on his palm sealed itself. The skin knitted together, the wound closing in visible seconds. His skill, Great Stitching, was already at work.
He looked up at his clones and asked,
"What happened?"
Black Lightning Clone stepped forward and began his explanation.
Once Cael and Junior had vanished into the pillar of light, the clones had tried to follow.
They had rushed toward the pillar, reaching the hole in the sealing formation. But the moment they touched the light, the pillar of light rejected them, and they were blasted.
Cael nodded slowly. He understood now.
The pillar of light was not mana. He had assumed it was, due to the water blocks and the sealing formation.
But once he had entered the light, he had felt it immediately. It was something else, something older.
Two hours passed.
The sun did not move. The light did not change. Time was strange here, stretched and warped.
Cael sat on the branch, his back against the trunk, his eyes scanning the landscape below. The clones stood guard, their senses stretched to their limits.
Then Junior stirred.
His fingers twitched. His eyelids fluttered. He let out a soft groan, his hand reaching up to touch his head.
Cael watched as Junior slowly woke up, his expression was confused, disoriented. His body was still adjusting to the gravity, the mana, the strange flow of time.
Cael let out a low chuckle and asked,
"Finally awake?"
Junior turned his head toward the sound. He nodded slowly, his voice hoarse.
"So, we successfully entered it... The Mermaid’s Flower Garden."
Cael looked out at the landscape below. The two mountains. The ancient trees. The still water channels. The small, unmoving sun.
"Yes." Cael said.
Hearing that, Junior pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly as the gravity pressed down on him.
Cael also stood up and said,
"Now that you are awake."
He said that with a small smile playing on his lips,
"Let’s begin our search."
...
On the surface, far from the realm, inside Everbright Academy.
A large hall stood at the center of one of the academy buildings; its walls lined with banners bearing the emblems of participating academies.
Long tables had been arranged in a semicircle, and seated around them were the most powerful rankers in the region.
At the head of the table, sat a man who did not look like he belonged there.
His name was Riker. He was an [Origin] ranker, the same one who had come to Golden Scale Academy during the mana disruption incident.
But unlike in Arhal City, he did not look like an old man at all.
His back was straight. His shoulders were broad. His hair was dark, with only traces of gray at the temples. He looked like a middle-aged man in his prime, his eyes sharp, his expression unreadable.
Beside him stood Seraphina, her amber eyes scanning the room. She was the Grand Summit Trials event holder, the one who had organized everything.
Before them, many [Mythril] rankers and a few [Adamant] rankers sat in silence. The tension in the room was thick, heavier than the air in any realm.
Riker leaned forward, his voice calm but firm as he said,
"Now we have two options, one is to proceed with the trials, and the other is to cancel the trials. The Council has permitted me to decide as I see fit. So, let us discuss."
The first to speak was the White Sea Guildmaster,
"We will cancel the trials immediately."
A smile formed on Seraphina’s lips. She did not hide it, then she said,
"No. The trials must proceed."
The White Sea Guildmaster gritted his teeth.
"Why, you..."
But Seraphina cut off his words, her voice smooth and steady.
"We have yet to discuss, so why are you in such a rush to cancel it?"
Inside, Seraphina was very happy.
The White Sea Guildmaster had proposed the idea of this tournament of the younger generation to be held in Everbright Academy.
For the past few months, she had been working day and night, overseeing every detail, approving every arrangement, solving every problem.
And now, if the trials were canceled, all her work would be wasted.
Of course, she wouldn’t agree.
Seraphina smiled wider and added,
"If you had been in the White Sea District, you might have had a chance to enter the realm. Alas, if it were not for the trials, you might have been in White Sea right now."
She paused, tilting her head slightly.
"Oh, I forgot. Weren’t you the one who suggested the trials? Fate is truly unpredictable."
The White Sea Guildmaster’s face turned a deeper shade of red. His jaw tightened. His hands trembled with barely contained fury.
But he ultimately said nothing.
Seraphina took a deep breath as she put away the smile.
The trials would proceed.
’I will make sure of it.’
___________
[A/N: Unedited Chapter]